All Knowledge & Insights By Date

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published standard ISO/TS 21237:2020, “Nanotechnologies — Air filter media containing polymeric nanofibres — Specification of characteristics and measurement methods.”  According to ISO, in recent years, air filter media containing nanofibers have been commercialized and widely used by different industries due to their high filtration efficiency, along with a low pressure drop created by the slip flow effect.  ISO...

 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published on August 11, 2020, its quarterly update of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) confidential business information (CBI) review statistics.  These data summarize the number of CBI cases under review and results of completed reviews through June 15, 2020: CBI Review Statistics (cases received between June 22, 2016 and June 15, 2020) Cases in which the specific chemical identity is subject to CBI review 3,326 Cases in...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to release a timely episode of the All Things Chemical™ podcast, COVID-19, FIFRA, and EPA — A Conversation with Lisa Campbell.” In this episode, Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, B&C, and Lisa M. Campbell, one of the nation’s foremost legal experts on the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), a Partner at B&C, sat down to discuss U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...

The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) posted an article on April 6, 2020, announcing the availability of a study that found a lack of data on female fertility.  The study, A critical review of studies on the reproductive and developmental toxicity of nanomaterials, was commissioned by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and carried out by DHI A/S and the Danish National Research Center for the Working Environment.  The scope of this project was to...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published on April 10, 2020, the quarterly update of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) confidential business information (CBI) review statistics.  The data summarize the number of CBI cases under review and results of completed reviews through March 1, 2020.  In addition, a spreadsheet showing the details of completed TSCA CBI determinations through March 1, 2020, is available.  EPA states that making this information publicly available...

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Ligia Duarte Botelho, M.A. On April 6, 2020, 15 United States Senators submitted a bipartisan letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary, Sonny Perdue, requesting the use of its authority to assist the biofuels industry’s economic circumstances brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Highlighting the negative impacts of the pandemic on farmers and producers who will bear the impact of the decrease in consumption, in the letter, the Senators...

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Ligia Duarte Botelho, M.A. On April 9, 2020, EPA issued a final rule amending the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) regulations by extending the 2020 report submission deadline to November 30, 2020. The extension applies to the 2020 submission period only. As many are aware, CDR regulations require manufacturers (including importers) of certain chemical substances to report data on the manufacturing, processing, and use of the...

By Lynn L. Bergeson On March 3, 2020, EPA announced the availability of a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) to the Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science proposed rule. EPA notes that the SNPRM “is not a new rulemaking; rather, it provides clarifications on certain terms and aspects of the 2018 proposed rule.” The SNPRM: Proposes that the scope of the rulemaking applies to influential scientific information, as well as significant regulatory decisions;...

By Lynn L. Bergeson EPA announced on April 2, 2020, that it sent a letter to all members of Congress to correct the record on its temporary policy regarding enforcement of environmental legal obligations during the COVID-19 pandemic. EPA states that “[a]s should be apparent to anyone who reads the policy, allegations that EPA ‘will cease all enforcement actions during the coronavirus pandemic’ and that the temporary policy ‘absolves polluters of all responsibility’...

On April 3, 2020, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced it would allow enforcement discretion by County Agricultural Commissioners (CAC) for licensing and certification requirements for pesticide applicators who perform sanitization services to control the spread of COVID-19. DPR states in its announcement that, under normal circumstances, a “Pest Control Business (PCB) must always have a Qualified Applicator License (QAL) holder to supervise pest control...