All Knowledge & Insights By Date

On February 1, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released guidance to clarify how it will evaluate “absence of an ingredient” claims for pesticide products regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). EPA states that it is aware that the regulated community seeks clarity on whether and how “absence of an ingredient” claims can be made lawfully on FIFRA-regulated product labels. EPA states that it will consider an “absence of...

Download transcript. This week I discuss with my colleague, Dr. Richard E. Engler, Director of Chemistry for B&C and The Acta Group, our consulting affiliate, what to expect in 2024 regarding TSCA developments. Rich is a leading voice on all things TSCA, especially new chemicals, and a widely sought after thought leader on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) implementation of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg), Congress’ 2016...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on January 24, 2024, that it is extending the review period for confidential business information (CBI) claims for specific identity of all active chemical substances listed on the confidential portion of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory submitted to EPA under TSCA. 89 Fed. Reg. 4605. EPA states that it “has determined that an extension of the statutory review period for the review of CBI claims under TSCA are necessary...

On Jan. 26, 2024, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued updated enforcement guidance regarding compliance with OSHA’s standard for the Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals (PSM standard). The new directive, CPL 02-01-065, provides much-needed updates to the guidance issued in 1994 and explains OSHA’s current thinking regarding compliance with the PSM standard. 

The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) announced on February 5, 2024, that the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published two new ex-ante publicity notices for two service contracts: “Survey on state of the art of carbon-based nanomaterial detection and quantification in environmental and biological matrices”: ECHA expects to launch a call for tender to initiate an EUON systematic survey on the current state of the art for carbon-based nanomaterial detection and...

On February 2, 2024, Lynn L. Bergeson was quoted by Science in the article "Does fluoride in drinking water lower IQ? Question looms large in court battle." The case, being heard in a federal district court, “is precedent setting,” says Lynn Bergeson, a managing partner of Bergeson & Campbell who focuses on chemical toxicity. Rarely have judges had to “manage the enormity of this record of scientific evidence. … That’s why there’s a lot of attention focused on this right...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on January 30, 2024, the publication of a draft testing method (EPA Method 1634) that will enable government agencies, Tribes, and other groups to determine where and when 6PPD-quinone is present in local stormwater and surface waters. As reported in our November 3, 2023, blog item, on November 2, 2023, EPA announced that it granted a petition filed under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to address the use of the...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on February 1, 2024, two proposed rules that will add to its comprehensive approach to tackling per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution and the commercial bottom line for hundreds of businesses facing costs for cleanup. The first proposed rule would modify the definition of hazardous waste as it applies to cleanups at permitted hazardous waste facilities. EPA states that this modification “would assure that EPA’s...

On January 24, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began a 30-day public comment period on the draft updates to its Scientific Integrity Policy (Policy). 89 Fed. Reg. 4606. EPA states that in accordance with the requirements of the 2021 Presidential Memorandum on Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-based Policymaking, it is revising its Policy. The updated Policy will adopt a new federal definition of scientific integrity and “meaningfully...