All Knowledge & Insights By Date

Approximately 5.4 million cubic yards, or 1.1 billion gallons, of coal ash from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) plant near Knoxville, Tenn., in December 2008 flooded some 300 acres of land, damaging property, polluting waterways, and killing fish. TVA will likely spend more than $500 million and perhaps as much as $1 billion dollars on the cleanup, says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The TVA debacle was EPA’s wake-up call for potential hazards presented...

The Silver Nanotechnology Working Group (SNWG) issued a press release regarding its presentation to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) at its November 3-6, 2009, meeting. EPA asked the SAP “to consider and review a set of scientific issues related to the assessment of hazard and exposure associated with nanosilver and other nanometal pesticide products.” According to EPA, companies with an interest in marketing products that contain...

Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals (Fourth Report), which provides an ongoing assessment of the exposure of the U.S. population to environmental chemicals using biomonitoring.  The Fourth Report presents data for the U.S. population for 212 environmental chemicals over the period 2003-2004, updating CDC’s 2005 Third National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental...

Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) announced the development of two voluntary pilot programs for antimicrobial pesticide products.  Working collaboratively with the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC), OPP explored the different types of label statements and logos for antimicrobial pesticide product labels.  OPP developed the Factual Label Statement Pilot Program and the OPP-Design for the Environment (DfE) Logo Pilot...

Earlier today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of a policy paper entitled Revised Risk Assessment Methods for Workers, Children of Workers in Agricultural Fields, and Pesticides with No Food Uses, which describes how EPA plans to use revised methods in conducting risk assessments for pesticide uses and exposures not governed by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).  According to EPA, implementing this policy will increase...

During the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Member State Committee’s December 2-4, 2009, meeting, the Committee unanimously agreed that 15 new substances of very high concern (SVHC) would be added to the Candidate List.  The Committee also unanimously agreed on a testing proposal from ECHA that was submitted under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation.  More information on these actions is provided below. 15 SVHCs to Be Added to...

On November 3-5, 2009, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) met “to consider and review a set of scientific issues related to the assessment of hazard and exposure associated with nanosilver and other nanometal pesticide products.” The decision to convene an SAP was nominally motivated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) need to consider four applications pending at the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) seeking...

Today the full Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health held a joint hearing entitled “Oversight Hearing on the Federal Toxic Substances Control Act.”  During the hearing, Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Chair of the Subcommittee, stated that he is preparing legislation to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  In 2005 and 2008, Lautenberg introduced the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act, which...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. extends its best wishes to our clients and many friends and we wish you and your family a happy, healthy, and peaceful New Year. TSCA/FIFRA/NTP/EPCRA EPA Issues Technical Amendment Of Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Rule — On November 17, 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) amended the Final Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Rule (CROMERR) to exclude from the regulation all documents and information submitted electronically to EPA by...

On November 20, 2009, the European Union (EU) Council approved an updated cosmetics regulation that would require cosmetic products that contain nanoscale ingredients to be labeled as such.  The regulation would also require the manufacturers of new cosmetic products containing nanomaterials to notify the European Commission (EC) and provide certain information six months before the product is placed on the European market.  If the EC has concerns regarding the safety of the...