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We are pleased to announce that the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources published an article written by Lynn L. Bergeson and Eve C. Gartner entitled “The essentials of TSCA practice” in the November/December 2020 issue of Trends.  According to the authors, legal practitioners should be aware of the commercial, legal, and reputational implications of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) as amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for...

The Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), formerly the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), released the final Notice on Convergence Matters Related to Environmental Management Registration of New Chemical Substances on October 27, 2020. Different from the draft Notice published in early June, new chemical substance registrations submitted and accepted by MEE before December 31, 2020, will be reviewed and approved under current MEP Order No. 7 until June...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the final risk evaluation for carbon tetrachloride on November 4, 2020. 85 Fed. Reg. 70147. EPA states that it reviewed 15 conditions of use, “all of which are associated with industrial and commercial work and primarily involve the manufacturing of other chemicals.” EPA found unreasonable risks to workers and occupational non-users (ONU) for 13 of the 15 conditions of use. EPA found no unreasonable risks to the...

The Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (SNO) and the Nanotechnology, Occupational and Environmental Health (NanOEH) Committee have partnered to present the 9th NANO Conference.  This conference combines the interests of SNO and NanOEH by offering a virtual program containing sessions that are of interest to both groups. SNO is a permanent non-profit corporation that provides the infrastructure to carry out its mission of research, education, and responsibility related to both...

On November 2, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the proposed rule to add chitosan (Poly-D-Glucosamine) to its list of active ingredients eligible for EPA’s minimum risk pesticide exemption under Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Section 25(b).  85 Fed. Reg. 69307. The proposed rule is in response to a petition submitted to EPA on October 10, 2018, requesting...

On October 30, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule on the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) regulation that revises the requirements on the pesticide application exclusion zone (AEZ), defined as an “area surrounding the point(s) of pesticide discharge from the application equipment that must generally be free of all persons during pesticide applications.”  According to EPA, the targeted changes improve the enforceability and...

The Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (SNO) and the Nanotechnology, Occupational and Environmental Health (NanOEH) Committee have partnered to present the 9th NANO Conference.  This conference combines the interests of SNO and NanOEH by offering a virtual program containing sessions that are of interest to both groups. SNO is a permanent non-profit corporation that provides the infrastructure to carry out its mission of research, education, and responsibility related to both...

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is not the arcane federal law it once was. Amended in 2016 in response to a demand so loud and persistent from nongovernmental organizations, consumers, and, eventually, the industrial chemical community that Congress could no longer ignore it, TSCA is now a force with which to be reckoned. While the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) implementation of the 2016 Lautenberg Act that amended TSCA invites criticism among stakeholders, there is...

On October 30, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) announced that it issued a Compliance Advisory on ultraviolet (UV) lights claiming to kill or be effective against viruses and bacteria.  EPA states that the Advisory was issued to provide an explanation to the UV light industry that UV lights are regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) as pesticide devices...

ABA SEER And CropLife America Present New Developments In Pesticide Law And Policy: Registration is now open for the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER) and CropLife America virtual conference entitled New Developments in Pesticide Law and Policy on November 18, 2020. The program provides important updates on U.S. pesticide law and policy issues with Lisa M. Campbell, Partner, Bergeson & Campbell,...