The International Estimated Short-Term Intake IESTI equations are used during the establishment of Codex Maximum Residue Limits. A recent proposal to revise the equations sparked international debate regarding selection of residue inputs and the appropriate level of consumer protection. The 49th Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues meeting recommended benchmarking the IESTI equations against distributions of actual exposures. Using publicly available data and models, this work compares dietary...
March 13, 2019
2019 NanoEHS CORs Workshop Will Be Held in October
The 2019 U.S.-European Union (EU) NanoEHS Communities of Research (COR) Workshop will take place October 15-16, 2019, at the Europole de l’Arbois in Aix en Provence, France. The workshop is organized by the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) and the European Commission (EC). The agenda for the October 2018 Bridging NanoEHS Research Efforts Joint Workshop and the following presentations are available: Carlos Eduardo Lima da Cunha, EC, “EU...
March 13, 2019
EPA’s Process For Assessing And Controlling Toxic Chemicals Remains On GAO’s High-Risk List
GAO released on March 6, 2019, a report entitled High-Risk Series: Substantial Efforts Needed to Achieve Greater Progress on High-Risk Areas. GAO’s high-risk program identifies government operations with vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, or in need of transformation to address economy, efficiency, or effectiveness challenges. GAO’s report describes the status of high-risk areas and outlines actions necessary to assure further progress. GAO states that in the...
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published standard ISO/TR 21386, “Nanotechnologies — Considerations for the measurement of nano-objects and their aggregates and agglomerates (NOAA) in environmental matrices.” The standard provides some considerations for the collection of environmental samples to be analyzed for manufactured NOAA, considerations to distinguish manufactured NOAA from background levels of naturally occurring nanoscale particles of the same...
On March 11, 2019, the HazMat Management magazine republished Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.’s (B&C®) article “PHMSA Study Will Assess Aligning U.S. and International Regulations for Aerosol Containers.” HazMat Management magazine has covered Canadian environmental health and safety compliance issues for over 17 years. The full article on the HazMat Management page is now available online.
The Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) is, by its very nature, perennially a work in progress. The US is committed to global harmonisation in classifying chemical hazards, and the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Osha) 2012 incorporation of the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of classification and labelling of chemicals into the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) was a big step forward in achieving global harmonisation. The road is long, however, and...
March 8, 2019
JRC Opens Calls for the Nanobiotechnology Laboratory
The European Commission’s (EC) Joint Research Center (JRC) opens its scientific laboratories and facilities, including its Nanobiotechnology Laboratory, to people working in academia and research organizations, industry, and small and medium enterprises (SME). JRC opened a call on February 1, 2019, for the Nanobiotechnology Laboratory for the following priority topics: Nanomaterial characterization, including their interactions with biological systems (culture media, proteins);...
March 8, 2019
EPA’s Process for Assessing and Controlling Toxic Chemicals Remains on GAO’s High-Risk List
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released on March 6, 2019, a report entitled High-Risk Series: Substantial Efforts Needed to Achieve Greater Progress on High-Risk Areas. GAO’s high-risk program identifies government operations with vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, or in need of transformation to address economy, efficiency, or effectiveness challenges. GAO’s report describes the status of high-risk areas and outlines actions necessary to assure...
On March 8, 2019, President Trump signed S. 483, the “Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act of 2018,” which reauthorizes the Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act (PRIA 4) through fiscal year 2023, updates the fee collection provisions and authorities available under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and addresses worker protection matters. The text is available at Congress.gov, which has not yet been updated to confirm...
By Lynn L. Bergeson On March 1, 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced $51.5 million for innovative research of technologies for trucks, off-road vehicles, and fuels. Of particular interest to DOE EERE are: Gaseous fuels research, including natural gas, biopower, and hydrogen; Heavy duty freight electrification; Hydrogen infrastructure and fuel cell technologies for heavy duty applications; and Energy efficient off-road...