All Knowledge & Insights By Date

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH®) Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances (TLV®-CS) Committee has included carbon nanotubes on its 2021 list of chemical substances and other issues under study.  Being placed on the under study list indicates that the TLV®-CS Committee has selected carbon nanotubes for development of a threshold limit value (TLV®).  ACGIH® describes TLVs® as health-based values representing the...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released on December 30, 2020, the final risk evaluation for asbestos, part 1: chrysotile asbestos. Of the six use categories evaluated (chlor-alkali diaphragms, sheet gaskets, other gaskets, oilfield brake blocks, aftermarket automotive brakes/linings, and other vehicle friction products), EPA states that it found that there is unreasonable risk to workers, occupational non-users (ONU), consumers, and/or bystanders within each of the six...

Dan Utech, Incoming Chief of Staff for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced to EPA on January 21, 2021, that until Michael Regan, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, is confirmed as EPA Administrator, Jane Nishida will serve as Acting Administrator.  In his announcement, Utech notes that on January 20, 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order on Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the...

B&C Publishes 2021 Forecast: 2021 brings a new Administration to Washington, D.C. and Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.’s (B&C®) Forecast of the key chemical law and policy developments we are likely to see in 2021 is available now. The PDF version delivers 83 pages of detailed and helpful content regarding what to expect concerning regulatory programs and regions, including the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to present  “What To Expect When You’re Electing (a New President),” a webinar focusing on the incoming Biden Administration, including what policies and initiatives can be expected in the next four years and how any likely regulatory directions may affect our clients. Registration is now open.

On January 26, 2021, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will hold a webinar on Guidance Document on Aquatic and Sediment Toxicological Testing of Nanomaterials (No. 317).  The webinar will discuss the scope and use of the guidance document, which addresses practical aspects of carrying out valid tests on nanomaterials, and modifications or additions to OECD Test Guidelines procedures intended to improve the accuracy of test...

On December 21, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that a report compiling the letter peer reviewers’ comments on the revised draft Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) risk evaluation of C.I. Pigment Violet 29 (PV29) is now available in Docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2018-0604.  EPA states that it is in the process of reviewing the letter peer reviewers’ comments and will use the feedback received from the peer review and public comments to inform the final risk...

On December 21, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a proposed rule that would amend the 2018 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) fees rule. According to EPA, the proposed rule “reflects real-world situations, narrows the broad scope of current requirements, significantly reduces the burden on American businesses, and increases the flexibility for surrounding TSCA fees requirements.” Under TSCA, EPA collects fees from chemical manufacturers and...

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published a report entitled Moving Towards a Safe(r) Innovation Approach (SIA) for More Sustainable Nanomaterials and Nano-enabled Products.  According to the Executive Summary, the report “presents common working descriptions to ensure a common understanding of concepts such as: Safe(r) Innovation Approach and its elements, Safe(r)-by-Design and Regulatory Preparedness.”  The report compiles existing risk...

On December 23, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the final risk evaluation for N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP). Of the 37 conditions of use that EPA reviewed, EPA found that 26 present unreasonable risks to workers and consumers. These uses include an unreasonable risk to workers when domestically manufacturing or importing NMP, processing NMP for a variety of uses, and when used in a variety of industrial and commercial conditions of use. These uses also include an...