All Things Chemical® Podcast

March 16, 2023
What is Product Stewardship’s Value to a Company? — A Conversation with Tina N. Armstrong, Ph.D.
This week, I sat down with Dr. Tina N. Armstrong, a Vice President with Arcadis U.S., Inc., to discuss the role of product stewardship in business organizations today. To those of us in this space, Tina is a rock star. In addition to her role as a business leader and scientist at Arcadis, Tina is a professor in product stewardship strategy and management at the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, an author of many books and articles on product stewardship, and the 2022 awardee of the prestigious Allan K. Fleeger Distinguished Service Award conferred by the ... read more >
March 2, 2023
Product Stewardship, Supply Chain, and Downstream User Engagement — A Conversation with Catherine M. Croke, DBA
This week, I had the pleasure of catching up with Dr. Catherine M. Croke, B&C’s and our consulting affiliate’s, The Acta Group, new Director of Product Stewardship and Regulatory Affairs. Catherine joined us recently from Evonik Corporation, where she was Senior Advocacy and Compliance Manager. Catherine’s diverse and truly extraordinary background working for industrial chemical companies in a variety of science, business, and advocacy roles have made Catherine a core part of the B&C and Acta team. We discuss the expanding role and growing importance of product ... read more >
February 16, 2023
Health Canada’s Update to Rev 7/8 of GHS — A Conversation with Karin F. Baron
This week, I welcomed back to the studio Karin F. Baron, Director of Hazard Communication and International Registration Strategy at B&C and our consulting affiliate, The Acta Group. During this 100th All Things Chemical podcast, Karin and I discuss the very important recently released amendments to the Canadian Hazardous Products Regulations (HPR). The amendments are intended to align the HPR with the seventh revised edition (Rev 7) of the United Nations (UN) Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). No one on planet Earth knows the global state ... read more >
February 2, 2023
What to Expect on Capitol Hill and at EPA OCSPP in 2023 — A Conversation with Jim Aidala
This week, I sat down with Jim Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant at B&C and its consulting affiliate, The Acta Group. We discuss what to expect in 2023 from Capitol Hill and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) when it comes to key chemical matters. Jim is, of course, one of the country’s most talented pesticide experts and, as a former Assistant Administrator of what is now OCSPP and a founding member of the Capitol Steps, offers laser-focused insights on chemicals with wit and flair. We cover a ... read more >
January 19, 2023
What to Expect in Chemicals Policy and Regulation in 2023 — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.
Download transcript. This week, Dr. Richard E. Engler, Director of Chemistry for B&C and The Acta Group (Acta®), our consulting affiliate, returned to the studio to discuss what to expect in Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) regulation in the New Year. While we cannot predict with precision, we know 2023 will be a consequential year for several reasons: the first final risk management rule will be issued, the final per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) reporting rule will be issued, and the final Confidential Business Information rule will be issued -- and this is the ... read more >
January 5, 2023
EPA Adds Two New Chemical Categories: What It Means to Chemical Innovators — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.
Download Transcript This week, Dr. Richard E. Engler, Director of Chemistry for B&C and The Acta Group, our consulting affiliate, returned to the studio to discuss the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) bold moves in developing new chemical categories to help streamline the review of new chemicals under Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 5. While the categorical approach to new chemical review is by no means new, it has stalled out in recent years, and EPA’s renewed work in this area is both timely and essential. Rich and I discuss the new category for ... read more >
December 8, 2022
TSCA Regulation of Articles: The Saga Continues — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.
Download transcript. This week, Dr. Richard E. Engler, Director of Chemistry for B&C and The Acta Group, our consulting affiliate, returned to the studio to discuss the stubbornly vexatious problem of TSCA’s regulation of articles, a fancy name for products or finished goods. Most listeners to the podcast appreciate that this U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administration has specifically applied TSCA regulations to articles far more than in decades past. This policy pivot has caused a significant amount of commercial disruption and business uncertainty. This will ... read more >
November 10, 2022
Keeping up with CLP Changes — A Conversation with Karin F. Baron
Download transcript. This week, I welcomed back to the studio Karin F. Baron, Senior Regulatory Consultant at B&C and our consulting affiliate, The Acta Group. Karin and I discuss the controversial changes proposed by the European Commission to the regulation on classification, labeling, and packaging of substances and mixtures, better known as the CLP regulation. As our listeners know, no one knows this space better than Karin Baron. Karin explains why the proposed changes are likely to inject even greater dis-harmonization in the area of the global harmonization of packaging and ... read more >
October 27, 2022
Biotech’s Emergence in the EU and Globally — A Conversation with Dr. Claire Skentelbery
Download transcript. This week, I sat down with Dr. Claire Skentelbery, Director General, EuropaBio -- The European Association for Bioindustries. Many of you may know Claire from her prior role as Director General of the Nanotechnology Industries Association, where she energized that Brussels-based trade association to new and exciting heights. Claire has brought her considerable scientific, science policy, and trade association management skills to EuropaBio at an exciting time, as biotechnology is widely recognized to be a pivotal component of the European Union’s (EU) ... read more >
October 13, 2022
Misunderstood: The Excise Tax No One Likes or Understands — A Conversation with Douglas Charnas and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.
Download transcript. This week I sat down with Doug Charnas, a nationally- recognized corporate and tax attorney and partner at McGlinchey, in its Washington, D.C. offices, and our own Dr. Richard Engler, Director of Chemistry at Bergeson & Campbell and at our consulting affiliate, The Acta Group. We discuss the recently reinstated Superfund Tax, which entities the tax applies to, what exactly is a taxable chemical and how to distinguish between taxable chemicals and taxable substances, and why just about everyone is really grumpy about this newly reinstated tax. ALL MATERIALS ... read more >
September 29, 2022
The New Era of Smarter Food Safety — A Conversation with Karin Baron
Download transcript. This week, I welcomed back to the studio Karin F. Baron, Senior Regulatory Consultant at B&C and our consulting affiliate, The Acta Group. Karin and I discuss the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) initiative called the New Era of Smarter Food Safety. The goal of this initiative is to diminish the number of foodborne illness, which, surprisingly, has not diminished since the Food Safety Modernization Act was enacted 11 years ago. We discuss FDA’s “blueprint for the future” as the initiative has come to be called, the use of ... read more >
September 15, 2022
TSCA New Approach Methodologies — A Conversation with James W. Cox
Download transcript. This week I sat down with James Cox, M.S., Senior Scientist with B&C. James is an exceptional biologist with significant experience assessing the risk of industrial chemicals. Before joining B&C, James served in a variety of leadership positions in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevent and Toxics, one of which was Chair of the Risk Assessment Technical Team, which provided recommendations to inform EPA’s policy positions on New Approach Methodologies or NAMs. James discusses NAMs, their significance in ... read more >
September 1, 2022
Do We Need An Animal Protection Agency? — A Conversation with Prof. Delcianna J. Winders
Download transcript. This week I sat down with Professor Delcianna J. Winders, Professor and Animal Law and Policy Institute Director at the Vermont Law School. Professor Winders is a total rock star in the exploding area of animal law. Prior to joining the Vermont Law School faculty and founding the Animal Law and Policy Institute, Professor Winders was on the faculty of Lewis & Clark Law School. She previously served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Foundation, was the first Academic Fellow of the Harvard Animal Law ... read more >
August 18, 2022
Is There A New Chemical Bias? — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.
Download transcript. This week I sat down with Dr. Richard E. Engler, B&C’s and The Acta Group’s (our consulting affiliate) Director of Chemistry, to discuss the new chemical bias. Our listeners know that Rich Engler has worked for decades reviewing Premanufacture Notifications submitted under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). PMNs are applications to manufacture or import chemical substances that are not listed on the TSCA Inventory and thus are considered “new.” Much has changed in terms of the new chemical review process since Congress revised TSCA ... read more >
August 4, 2022
The National Tribal Toxics Council — A Conversation with Dianne Barton, Ph.D.
Download transcript. This week, I sat down with Dr. Dianne Barton, Water Quality Coordinator at the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission in Portland, Oregon, where she puts her Ph.D. in geochemistry to good use by providing technical expertise related to water quality, environmental toxics, regulatory processes, and the fate and transport of contaminants. Dr. Barton, who is a member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Chairs the National Tribal Toxics Council (NTTC), which is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - tribal partnership group that provides tribes ... read more >
July 21, 2022
Tips for Working with Foreign Regulators in China — A Conversation with David Cragin, Ph.D.
Download transcript. This week, I sat down with David Cragin, Ph.D., DABT®, Quality Assurance and External Affairs Director for a large multinational pharmaceutical company, to discuss his experience living and working in China. For many listeners, working with foreign regulators can be particularly challenging for a variety of reasons, including language barriers, cultural differences, and differing regulatory standards. Dave shares his experience working in China and explains his approach to managing these issues successfully. ALL MATERIALS IN THIS PODCAST ARE PROVIDED SOLELY FOR ... read more >
July 7, 2022
Food Pesticide Residues — A Conversation with Sheryl Dolan and Meibao Zhuang, Ph.D.
Download transcript This week, I sat down with Sheryl Lindros Dolan, Senior Regulatory Consultant with B&C and Senior Regulatory Specialist with our consulting affiliate, The Acta Group, and Meibao Zhuang, Ph.D., Senior Scientist/Regulatory Consultant with B&C and Acta, to discuss pesticide tolerances, what are they, how does the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) develop them, and how well government and industry stakeholders communicate their utility in ensuring a safe and reliable food supply. We also wander into the complex world of soil amendments and ... read more >
June 23, 2022
Balancing Wildlife Protection and Responsible Pesticide Use — A Conversation with EPA’s Jake Li
Download transcript. This week, I sat down with Jake Li, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pesticide Programs, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and my colleague, Jim Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant here at B&C. My guests have much in common -- they both have served (or in Jake’s case is serving) in senior policy positions in this space at EPA, and they both have a keen understanding of the legal, policy, and commercial implications of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Enacted almost 50 years ago, ... read more >
June 10, 2022
OEHHA and Prop 65 Update — A Conversation with Lisa R. Burchi
Download transcript This week, I sat down with Lisa R. Burchi, Of Counsel, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., and resident expert on Proposition 65 (Prop 65), among many other chemical laws. Few state laws are more notorious, or controversial, as this 1986 California law that revolutionized the concept of a consumer’s or worker’s “right to know” whether a product or work space might present exposures to chemicals considered carcinogens or reproductive toxins. Fast forward 36 years, and the familiar label warning on products as diverse as industrial chemicals to ... read more >
May 26, 2022
GHS Update — A Conversation with Karin Baron
Download transcript. This week, I welcomed back to the studio Karin F. Baron, Senior Regulatory Consultant at B&C and our consulting affiliate, The Acta Group. Karin is an internationally recognized expert on hazard communication, risk assessment, the regulation of food contact materials, and the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). Karin’s expertise in hazard communication and GHS was recently recognized as Karin was elected to the Board of Directors of the Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC), an organization Karin has ... read more >
May 12, 2022
Trends in Product Sustainability and Circularity — A Conversation with Kate Sellers
Download transcript This week I had the pleasure of sitting down again with one of my favorite people on planet Earth, Kate Sellers, Technical Fellow at ERM, where Kate leads a multidisciplinary team of professionals dedicated to helping companies recognize the business value of product stewardship. Kate is also an adjunct professor at Harvard Extension School and Indiana University’s School of Public Health, where she is an instructor in the Master of Science in Product Stewardship program. Kate and I last spoke on the podcast in December 2020, when we vowed to speak again in ... read more >
April 28, 2022
A Look Into The Household & Commercial Products Association — A Conversation with Steven Bennett, Ph.D.
Download transcript. This week, I sat down with Dr. Steven Bennett, Executive Vice President, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs, Household & Commercial Products Association, here in Washington, D.C. Steve’s membership represents an amazing diversity of products used to clean and disinfect homes and commercial environments. As Executive Vice President of scientific and regulatory affairs, Steve routinely addresses an equally diverse and challenging range of scientific, regulatory, and science policy issues, from consumer exposures, to chemicals used in cleaning products, to ... read more >
April 14, 2022
FIFRA Hot Topics — A Conversation with Jim Aidala
Download transcript This week, I sat down with Jim Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant at B&C and its consulting affiliate, The Acta Group. As a former Assistant Administrator in what is now the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Jim has a truly unique and exceedingly focused perspective on EPA and Congressional initiatives involving the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Unsurprisingly, the new (or not so new now) Administration has taken positions on key FIFRA issues that are ... read more >
March 31, 2022
Reflections on TSCA Implementation — A Conversation with Alexandra Dunn
Download transcript This week, I was delighted to visit again with Alexandra Dunn, now a Partner with Baker Botts and immediate past Assistant Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP). As Assistant Administrator, Alex was respected and liked by a diversity of industrial and agricultural chemical stakeholders, revered by her immediate staff, and hugely popular as an EPA senior leader. Alex led OCSPP at a pivotal time in EPA’s implementation of revisions to the Toxic Substances Control Act ... read more >
March 3, 2022
The “PIPing” Point — A Conversation with Kelly Scanlon, DrPH, Director of EHS at IPC
Download transcript. Dr. Scanlon's audio quality was affected during parts of this interview due to technical issues. We apologize for the inconvenience. This week I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kelly Scanlon, DrPH, CIH, Director of Environmental Policy & Research, Global Government Relations, at IPC. IPC, as many of you know, is an organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute as a standards development organization. It publishes the most widely used acceptability standards for the electronic industry. Dr. Scanlon was brought on at IPC in 2019 ... read more >
February 17, 2022
Toxics and Human Rights — A Conversation with Baskut Tuncak, Director of TURI
Download transcript This week I had the pleasure of sitting down with Baskut Tuncak, newly named Director, Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI), at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Baskut is a lawyer and former research chemist with a truly distinguished and fascinating career in a diverse range of public and private sector roles in toxics issues. Baskut most recently served as the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights. In our conversation, Baskut explains the role of rapporteur to the UN and outlines for us his goals as Director of TURI, one of ... read more >
February 3, 2022
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.’s 2022 Forecast
Download transcript. This week I was thrilled to sit down with James V. Aidala, B&C’s Senior Government Affairs Consultant, and Dr. Richard E. Engler, B&C’s and The Acta Group’s (our consulting affiliate) Director of Chemistry, to discuss what to expect in 2022 with regard to industrial and agricultural chemical regulation. As our listeners know, each year we publish a Forecast, a written summary of our best professional judgment as to the trends and key developments we expect in the New Year. Our 2022 Forecast is a monster -- 103 pages of well written, ... read more >
January 20, 2022
How Can Battery Production Be Greener? — A Conversation with Mathy Stanislaus
Download transcript Mathy Stanislaus was recently appointed as Vice Provost and Executive Director of Drexel University’s Environmental Collaboratory, which brings interdisciplinary expertise in environmental sciences, engineering, law, health, business, economics, policy, and humanities to co-design transformative environmental solutions in partnership with community leaders, nonprofits, corporations, and governments. He was formerly the Interim Director and  Director of Public Policy and Engagement for the Global Battery Alliance (GBA), a ... read more >
January 6, 2022
The Delicate Balance between Food and Climate — A Conversation with Katherine Meighan of IFAD
Download transcript This week I was delighted to sit down with Katherine Meighan, Associate Vice-President and General Counsel of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a United Nations agency headquartered in Rome, Italy. We spoke with Katie in the summer of 2019, after an International Bar Association (IBA) webinar on sustainable investment in agriculture I helped organize in my role as Vice Chair of the IBA Agricultural Law Section. I was so impressed with Katie’s work, we decided to do a podcast shortly thereafter. Since then, much has changed, and ... read more >
December 23, 2021
What do “reasonably foreseen” and “unreasonable risk” really mean? — A Conversation with Richard Engler, Ph.D. and Todd Stedeford, Ph.D.
Download transcript This week I sat down with Dr. Richard E. Engler, B&C’s and The Acta Group’s (our consulting affiliate) Director of Chemistry, and Dr. Todd J. Stedeford, B&C’s Of Counsel, to discuss a range of issues regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) all important implementation of the Lautenberg amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Rich was a 17-year veteran of EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) before joining our team. Todd is a more recent addition to our team, and is a lawyer ... read more >
December 9, 2021
A Conversation with Michal Freedhoff, Ph.D., Assistant Administrator, OCSPP
Download transcript This week I was delighted to sit down with Dr. Michal I. Freedhoff, Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), arguably the busiest person in Washington, D.C. Dr. Freedhoff is EPA’s top Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) official, and she also administers the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Dr. Freedhoff discusses OCSPP’s priorities, plans for the new year, and focuses on a few key issues, including new chemical review, industrial chemical ... read more >
November 11, 2021
Higher Education, Management, and Climate Change — A Conversation with Kurt Landgraf
Download transcript This week I sat down with Kurt M. Landgraf, former Chairman and CEO of DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company and most recently former President of Washington College located in Chestertown, Maryland. I have known Kurt for a number of years now, and I thought a conversation focusing on Kurt’s extraordinarily diverse background would be an interesting mix of pharmaceutical management issues, higher education, and Kurt’s observations on preparing students for careers in environmental disciplines. Kurt’s storied career makes for a fascinating conversation that ... read more >
October 28, 2021
Exploring the Environmental Footprint of the Digital Economy — A Conversation with David Rejeski
David’s 1999 Paper on e-commerce and the environment Download transcript This week I sat down with David Rejeski, Visiting Scholar with the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), to learn more about his engagement in the Project on the Energy and Environmental Implications of the Digital Economy. With support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, ELI, the Yale School of the Environment, and the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at UC Berkeley, the Project is shedding much-needed light on the true environmental and energy implications of the digital economy, focusing on ... read more >
October 14, 2021
Implementing Lautenberg — A Conversation with former OPPT Director Jeffery T. Morris, Ph.D.
Download trasncript All Things Chemical will reach our 3rd anniversary on October 23rd and we want to share this celebration with you. As we look back on the last three years I wanted to bring back an older episode from the summer of 2020, “Implementing Lautenberg — A Conversation with former OPPT Director Jeffery T. Morris, Ph.D.” During this episode I spoke with Jeff Morris about how the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics implemented Lautenberg back in 2016, and how TSCA can be implemented in the future to address social inequities and achieve its goals of ... read more >
October 5, 2021
All Things Chemical Celebrates Three Years of Great Conversations
In the 66 episodes since All Things Chemical launched in October 2018 with “Animal Testing and New TSCA,” host Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, B&C, has invited listeners into her conversations with 36 guests, including Alexandra Dunn, Jeffery Morris, The Honorable John Shimkus, Bjorn Hansen, Lynn R. Goldman, and Daniel Rosenberg. Topics covered include the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA); the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation; the Globally Harmonized ... read more >
September 30, 2021
TSCA Reform Reform? — A Conversation with Dennis Deziel
Download transcript This week I sat down with my new colleague, Dennis R. Deziel, B&C’s and our consulting affiliate’s, The Acta Group, Senior Government Affairs Advisor, to discuss Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform. Dennis served as Director of Federal Government Affairs for the Dow Chemical Company when the TSCA amendments were considered and eventually enacted by Congress in 2016. After leaving Dow, Dennis served as EPA Region 1 Administrator (New England). I thought it would be interesting to speak with Dennis and seek his views on TSCA reform, as it was ... read more >
September 16, 2021
EPA and PBTs: A New Normal? — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.
Download transcript This week I sat down with Dr. Richard E. Engler, B&C’s and The Acta Group’s (our consulting affiliate) Director of Chemistry, to discuss the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) continuing struggle to regulate certain persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals, especially those found in finished products, what EPA refers to as “articles.” The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) has always applied to the products, or articles, that contain chemical substances of interest to EPA under TSCA. While EPA previously ... read more >
September 2, 2021
A Conversation with the NRDC’s Daniel Rosenberg
Download transcript This week, I sat down with Daniel Rosenberg, Director, Federal Toxics Policy, Healthy People & Thriving Communities Program, at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Daniel’s distinguished legal career has placed him at the forefront of the evolving law and policy of domestic chemical regulation. Daniel and I discuss new Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) implementation of the 2016 amendments to TSCA under Lautenberg, several recent regulatory initiatives involving persistent, bioaccumulative, ... read more >
August 19, 2021
Compliance Checks and REACH — A Conversation with Karin Baron
Download transcript This week I sat down with Karin F. Baron, Senior Regulatory Consultant at B&C and our consulting affiliate, The Acta Group. Karin works extensively with the European Union’s (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals, better known as REACH, which is the EU counterpart to the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). We discuss REACH Article 41 “compliance checks,” an innocuous-sounding component of REACH that has the potential to cause considerable business anxiety, delay, and expense if a company’s REACH ... read more >
August 5, 2021
Occupational Exposure Limits for Nanomaterials — A Conversation with Carla Hutton
Download transcript This week I sat down with Carla N. Hutton, Regulatory Analyst at B&C. Carla is also co-editor of the Nano Blog that B&C has prepared for years. Carla is uniquely well suited to discuss a report the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently issued on developing occupational exposure limits or “bands” for engineered nanomaterials. There are thousands of chemicals in use in the workplace, but far fewer government-issued, authoritative, peer-reviewed occupational exposure limits for workplace chemicals. The recent NIOSH ... read more >
July 22, 2021
An explosive conversation about GHS and combustible dust — with Karin Baron
Download transcript This week I sat down with Karin F. Baron, Senior Regulatory Consultant at B&C and our consulting affiliate, The Acta Group. We tackle the daunting topic of combustible dust, a common workplace hazard that is more pervasive perhaps than people think. Combustible dust poses an explosion hazard in a wide variety of industries, including food, plastic, wood, and textiles, among many others. Karin helps us understand what combustible dust includes and then walks us through the somewhat complicated governance frameworks that have emerged among the Occupational Safety ... read more >
July 8, 2021
New PFAS: Is Anything NOT Reportable? — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.
Download transcipt This week I sat down with Dr. Richard E. Engler, B&C’s and The Acta Group’s (our consulting affiliate) Director of Chemistry, to discuss a very new component on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) PFAS Action Plan. The plan represents EPA’s “all of agency” approach to address the risks posed by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that can accumulate in humans and remain in the body for long periods. PFAS have been widely used in many consumer articles for years, and the action plan represents the totality of ... read more >
June 24, 2021
Changes to TSCA for Small Businesses? — A Conversation with Bruce Jarnot, Ph.D.
Download transcript This week, I sat down with Bruce Jarnot, Ph.D., DABT®, Senior Manager, Product Compliance, at Assent Compliance. Bruce is a board-certified industrial toxicologist with much experience assisting businesses with chemical product compliance. I have known Bruce for years, but over the past several months, Bruce and I have spoken often about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) implementation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and certain new rules that apply to manufacturers of finished goods, called “articles” under TSCA. Several ... read more >
June 10, 2021
Update on European Union Chemical Management Issues — A Conversation with EPPA’s Meglena Mihova
Download transcript This week, I sat down with Meglena Mihova, Managing Partner, EPPA, the Brussels-based premier consultancy on matters involving key business sectors, including chemicals and chemical regulation. Meglena is expert on all matters involving the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the complex relationships between and among ECHA, European Union (EU) member states, the European Commission, and other stakeholders. Meglena chairs the Environment Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU, which is the leading U.S. business representation body in the EU. We ... read more >
May 27, 2021
TSCA Section 4 and Consortia Formation — A Conversation with Heather Blankinship and Richard Engler, Ph.D.
This week, I sat down with Heather J. Blankinship, Senior Manager with B&C® Consortia Management (BCCM), a Bergeson & Campbell (B&C®) affiliate, and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., B&C’s Director of Chemistry, to discuss chemical testing under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Since Congress amended TSCA in 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been slowly ratcheting up required chemical testing under TSCA Section 4. Congress gave EPA expanded testing authority under the 2016 Amendments, and EPA is exercising its new authority to compel ... read more >
May 13, 2021
Pesticide Use on Cannabis in Colorado — A Conversation with Brenna Finn
Download transcript. This week, I sat down with Brenna Finn, Assistant Attorney General, Colorado Department of Law.  I am proud to report that Brenna was a law intern here at the firm years ago, as Brenna began her legal career, and pleased to report that her experience with the firm focused her career, in part, on chemical regulation.  Brenna’s substantive skills in Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) regulation have served her well in private practice and prepared her for her current position with the State of ... read more >
April 29, 2021
Let’s Talk About Europe’s Plastics Implementing Measure — A Conversation with Scott Burya, Ph.D.
Download transcript. This week, I sat down with Scott J. Burya, Ph.D., a regulatory chemist with B&C and our affiliated consulting firm, The Acta Group.  Scott works extensively in the food contact area and other areas involving Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) regulatory matters.  We discuss how U.S. regulatory professionals working in the all-important food contact space can leverage a European Union (EU) measure applicable to plastic food contact materials and articles.  The Plastics Implementing Measure, or PIM, includes, among other features, a list of ... read more >
April 15, 2021
What will the Biden Trade Plan look like? — A Conversation with Daniella Taveau
Download Transcript. This week, I sat down with Daniella Taveau, a Regulatory and Global Trade Strategist and the founder of Bold Text Strategies.  As a former International Trade Negotiator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Daniella represented the United States in all U.S. Free Trade Agreements and before the World Trade Organization, the United Nations (U.N.) Food and Agriculture Organization, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.  Daniella also served as an International Policy Analyst with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Given Daniella’s ... read more >
April 1, 2021
Changes to Safety Data Sheets in the EU and what it might mean for US Businesses — A Conversation with Karin Baron
This week I sat down with Karin Baron, Senior Regulatory Consultant to B&C and our affiliated consultancy, The Acta Group, to discuss the European Union’s (EU) Commission Regulation issued last June relating to the completion of safety data sheets (SDS).  As listeners know, SDSs are critically important commercial documents that describe the hazards identified with a particular chemical product or mixture as it makes  its way in commerce.  While this is an EU rule, Karin explains why the new regulation has important consequences for U.S. businesses. ALL ... read more >
March 18, 2021
Is Everything Carcinogenic? — A Conversation with Jane S. Vergnes, Ph.D. and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.
This week, I sat down with Dr. Jane Vergnes, Director of Toxicology and Vice President, Scientific Affairs, here at B&C and its consulting affiliate, The Acta Group (Acta®), and Dr. Richard Engler, Director of Chemistry, at B&C and Acta.  We discussed the provocative question “is everything carcinogenic?”  In asking this question, Jane and Rich discuss the marketing and labeling implications of a cancer classification for a chemical substance found as an ingredient in a consumer or industrial product.  In today’s “informed ... read more >
March 4, 2021
What’s happening with GHS and OSHA? — A Conversation with Karin Baron
This week I sat down with Karin Baron, Senior Regulatory Consultant to B&C and our affiliated consultancy, The Acta Group, to discuss the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS).  Listeners know GHS is the non-mandatory framework intended to aid in identifying, classifying, and communicating information on the hazards of chemicals or substances for occupational, consumer, and environmental exposures.  Despite the “harmonization” part in GHS, there continue to be significant areas of non-harmonization on a global scale that ... read more >
February 18, 2021
How will the New Administration affect the EPA? — A Conversation with James Aidala and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.
This week, I sat down with Jim Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant, and Dr. Richard Engler, Director of Chemistry, at B&C and its consulting affiliate, The Acta Group.  As both of these gentlemen previously worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Jim as former Assistant Administrator of that office and Rich as a senior chemist and head of the Green Chemistry Division, each has a keen sense of how EPA prepares for and transitions to a new Administration.  After reviewing how a new Administration ... read more >
February 4, 2021
How will the Biden Administration Interpret Amended TSCA? — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.
A change in Administration invites a sense of both excitement and anxiety.  Nowhere is this ambivalence more present that in the minds of regulated entities subject to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  After four years of the Trump Administration’s implementation of the many TSCA amendments occasioned by Lautenberg, regulated entities and other stakeholders have come to understand the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) interpretation of revised TSCA.  Not everyone agrees with these views, but they are known.  What is unclear is whether the ... read more >
January 21, 2021
One Last Conversation with EPA Assistant Administrator Alexandra Dunn
Download transcript This week I had my final visit with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Assistant Administrator Alexandra Dunn.  As many of our listeners know, Alex Dunn lead the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention and was responsible for implementing the nation’s industrial and agricultural chemical laws, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), respectively.  Alex has done a superb job since taking office in early 2019, and her steady hand in managing TSCA ... read more >
January 7, 2021
What Happened with the Presidential Election Last Year? — A Conversation with Howard Gutman
This week I sat down with my friend and colleague, Howard Gutman, who served as Ambassador to Belgium in the Obama Administration and is now a consultant for global businesses.  Ambassador Gutman addresses a broad range of timely and important topics, including the 2020 elections and what happened exactly, and what CEOs should be thinking about because of the change in Administration, both for U.S.-based and foreign-based businesses.  Given Ambassador Gutman’s unique view of global business, we also touch upon the European Union’s precautionary principle and ... read more >
December 17, 2020
Product Stewardship and Circular Economy — A Conversation with Kate Sellers
This week I was thrilled to sit down with Kate Sellers, Technical Director at ERM, where Kate leads multidisciplinary teams to help clients meet their business goals through product stewardship and sustainability initiatives.  Kate is immediate past President of the Product Stewardship Society and one of the country’s most visionary leaders in the area of product stewardship.  Kate counsels some of the largest companies in the world on optimizing business practices to producer better, safer products in a sustainable and efficient way.  I have known Kate for years, ... read more >
December 3, 2020
TSCA and Environmental Justice — A Conversation with Former OPPT Director Jeffery T. Morris, Ph.D.
This week I sat down with Dr. Jeff Morris, immediate past Director of EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), the EPA office that regulates industrial chemicals.  Jeff is now a principal of Jeff Morris Solutions LLC, a consulting firm helping entities navigate the complexities of industrial chemical regulation.  While at EPA, Jeff directed the Agency’s implementation of the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the U.S. law regulating industrial chemicals, and headed the office most immediately impacted by the significant ... read more >
November 12, 2020
Let’s talk about Europe — A Conversation with Bjorn Hansen, Executive Director of ECHA
Download transcript This week, my colleague, Dr. Jane Vergnes, and I sat down with Bjorn Hansen, Executive Director of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).  As our listeners may know, ECHA is the European Union (EU) regulatory agency charged with managing the scientific, technical, and administrative aspects of chemical management programs in the EU, including the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), the Classification, Labeling, and Packaging Regulation (CLP), the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR), the Prior Informed Consent ... read more >
October 29, 2020
What’s Going on with the Brexit Transition Period? — A Conversation with Jane S. Vergnes, Ph.D.
This week, I sat down with Dr. Jane Vergnes, Director of Toxicology here at B&C and Vice President, Scientific Affairs, and Director of Toxicology at B&C’s consulting affiliate, The Acta Group.  Jane has lead responsibility for our United Kingdom (UK) and Brussels offices and has been deeply engaged in Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and the impact of Brexit on our European Union (EU), UK, and U.S. clients. Given the fast approaching end of the transition period between the UK and EU, I thought it would be timely to ... read more >
October 15, 2020
How EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs Is Handling COVID-19 -- A Conversation with Lisa Campbell
This week, I sat down with Lisa Campbell, my Partner here at Bergeson & Campbell (B&C®) and its consulting affiliate, The Acta Group (Acta®), and a well-recognized expert on all things regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).  With so much attention focused on registering new products to combat COVID-19, we thought it timely to check in again with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) and see what it is up to.  OPP has been extraordinarily busy since March keeping up with new products ... read more >
October 1, 2020
EPA and the Election — A Conversation with Jim Aidala
This week, I sat down with Jim Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant at B&C and its consulting affiliate, The Acta Group.  As a former Assistant Administrator in what is now the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Jim has a keen sense of how EPA prepares for and transitions to changes in Administrations.  As we prepare for the November elections, we thought it would be good to check-in with Jim and get a sense of how our colleagues at EPA are faring.  After reviewing key topics in the pesticide ... read more >
September 17, 2020
A NanoBCA Retrospective — A Conversation with Vincent Caprio
This week I sat down with Vincent Caprio, Founder and Executive Director of the NanoBusiness Commercialization Association (NanoBCA).  Vince has been on the forefront of nano innovations and optimizing opportunities for businesses to commercialize their nano creations for more than two decades.  In founding the NanoBCA, Vince has placed it at the center of nanotechnology commercialization, national policy, law, and business since the beginning of the public’s focus on nanotechnology.  NanoBCA has provided a much-needed spotlight on how nanotechnology has been a critical ... read more >
September 3, 2020
Pesticide Registration in a Pandemic — A Conversation with Sheryl Dolan
This week I sat down with Sheryl Lindros Dolan, Senior Regulatory Consultant at B&C and its consulting affiliate, The Acta Group.  Sheryl is on the front line of pesticide registration and engages in a remarkably diverse range of pesticides and pesticide devices.  Sheryl is particularly gifted at charting regulatory strategies for new and novel pesticide innovations and other agricultural chemical products like biostimulants, biopesticides, and other chemical products.  Sheryl’s training as a scientist and a lawyer is invaluable in guiding clients to obtaining ... read more >
August 19, 2020
Implementing Lautenberg — A Conversation with former OPPT Director Jeffery T. Morris, Ph.D.
This week I sat down with Dr. Jeff Morris, immediate past Director of EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), the EPA office that regulates the industrial chemical sector.  Jeff directed EPA’s implementation of the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and headed the office most immediately impacted by the significant changes brought about by the Lautenberg amendments. In our discussion, we talk about how Jeff and his OPPT colleagues managed the daunting task of implementing a new law, and how the Agency has fared since the law’s ... read more >
August 6, 2020
What’s going on at EPA right now? — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.
This week I sat down with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., B&C’s Director of Chemistry, and all-around TSCA savant. Rich is an organic chemist and a 17-year veteran with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, where Rich managed the Green Chemistry Program and reviewed some 10,000 new chemical notifications. Given all that is going on at EPA with implementing the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which extensively amended the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), Rich and I discussed a wide range of ... read more >
July 23, 2020
A TSCA Retrospective — A Conversation with Congressman John M. Shimkus
This week I sat down with Congressman John M. Shimkus, a Member of the United States House of Representatives for the 15th District of Illinois.  As listeners of the podcast know well, Congressman Shimkus is a senior Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  In this capacity, Congressman Shimkus has become a rock star in the industrial chemical community, given his tireless efforts to modernize the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) , which of course resulted in passage four years ago of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act ... read more >
July 9, 2020
Checking up on EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs — A Conversation with Jim Aidala
This week I sat down with James Aidala, B&C’s Senior Government Affairs Consultant, to catch up on what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) is up to and to get a sense of what we might expect to develop over the remainder of the year.  As a former Assistant Administrator of what is now the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Jim’s thoughts and analyses are always spot on. We discuss leadership within OPP, which is transitioning.  Not surprisingly, who holds the position of Office Director is ... read more >
June 25, 2020
TSCA at Four — A Conversation with Alexandra Dunn, OCSPP AA
This week I sat down with EPA Assistant Administrator Alexandra Dunn.  As many of our listeners know, Alex Dunn heads the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention and is responsible for implementing the nation’s industrial and agricultural chemical laws, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), respectively. Alex has an extensive background in the environmental field and is a leading voice on TSCA and FIFRA.  Prior to Alex’s current role, she served as the Regional Administrator for EPA Region ... read more >
June 11, 2020
TSCA at Four — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.
As we are now into June, Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) aficionados will be quick to note that “new TSCA” is now almost four years old.  Passage in June 2016 of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act occasioned EPA’s implementation of a law that has transformed industrial chemical regulation in the United States.  This week, to mark Lautenberg’s fourth birthday, I sat down with Dr. Richard E. Engler, B&C’s Director of Chemistry and all-around expert on all things TSCA, to look back on what EPA stakeholders have ... read more >
May 28, 2020
Back to Work Safely—A Conversation with Larry Sloan, CEO of the AIHA
This week, as employees around the country are returning to their offices and work stations, I was excited to visit with Larry Sloan, CEO of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), located here in the Washington, D.C., area. AIHA may not be a well-known organization to many of our listeners, but that could be about to change.  Founded in 1939, AIHA is a non-profit organization serving professionals dedicated to the identification, evaluation, control, and confirmation of environmental stressors in or arising from the workplace. Given AIHA’s extraordinary institutional ... read more >
May 14, 2020
What Is the Difference between a Biostimulant and a Pesticide?
The question posed by this podcast may sound easy, but it is anything but. This podcast explores the fascinating yet commercially vexing jurisdictional divide between and among biostimulants, biopesticides, and fertilizers as each of these agricultural chemical products is vital to the agricultural community.  According to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report, the plant biostimulant industry alone is expected to be at least a $2.2 billion global market, swelling to $5 billion in 2025. As big as this market is, there is surprisingly a great deal of confusion in markets globally ... read more >
April 30, 2020
EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs and COVID-19 — A Conversation with Richard Keigwin
This week, I was thrilled to sit down with Richard Keigwin, Director of the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) here in Washington, D.C.  As OPP Director, Rick leads the EPA office that reviews and approves pesticide products used to combat the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.  Historically, OPP has consistently been one of the busiest offices in EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP).  The pandemic has invited a virtual flood of interest in the next generation of ... read more >
April 16, 2020
Chemical Distribution in the Time of COVID-19 — A Conversation with Eric R. Byer, NACD
This week, I sat down with Eric Byer, President and CEO of the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD). Eric, like many of us these days, is working hard and under extraordinary circumstances ensuring that his member companies are able to continue to distribute much needed chemical products, including sanitizers and other cleaning products, in response to the pandemic.  Our conversation focused on these uniquely “in the moment” issues and a broad range of federal, state, and international issues on which NACD is focused, including extending the Chemical ... read more >
April 2, 2020
COVID-19, FIFRA, and EPA — A Conversation with Lisa Campbell
This week, I sat down with Lisa Campbell, my business partner of many years and one of the nation’s foremost legal experts on the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Given Lisa’s expertise, we engaged in a very timely discussion about the approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of products under FIFRA to combat COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.  EPA has been deluged with applications to approve new products and/or new uses of existing products to combat the virus.  Lisa explains how antimicrobial pesticide ... read more >
March 19, 2020
EU Classification, Labeling, and Packaging Legislation — A Conversation with Karin Baron
This week, I sat down with my colleague Karin Baron, a senior regulatory consultant here at B&C. In this conversation, Karin talks about recent European Union enforcement initiatives that have to do with the CLP legislation: Classification, Labeling, and Packaging legislation. Karin begins by telling us about the current state of harmonization along the lines of the GHS model, and how this might be more an aspiration than a reality. Then we talk about the history of the CLP legislation: how it was introduced, how it has changed over the years, and what recent changes are doing to bring ... read more >
March 12, 2020
TSCA Update — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.
This week, I sat down with my colleague, Dr. Richard Engler, Director of Chemistry here at B&C and The Acta Group (Acta®). We brought everyone up to date on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) implementation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) fee rule and how it applies to entities obligated to pay a portion of the $1,350,000 per chemical fee for preparing an EPA-initiated risk evaluation, the legal and regulatory significance of the supplemental rulemaking on long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylate (LCPFAC) chemicals and the precedent it sets for ... read more >
February 20, 2020
Pesticide Roundup—A Conversation with Sheryl Dolan
This week, I sat down with my colleague, Sheryl Dolan, a Senior Regulatory Consultant here at Bergeson & Campbell and The Acta Group.  As Sheryl’s practice focuses primarily on pesticide matters, we addressed a few hot topics captivating our interest.  Sheryl briefed us on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs’ (OPP) forthcoming move from Crystal City, Virginia, to D.C. later this year, OPP’s recent deployment of its Emerging Pathogen Policy in light of the Coronavirus gripping the world, OPP’s continuing ... read more >
February 6, 2020
Are You Potentially Responsible for TSCA Fees? EPA Issues Preliminary Lists of Companies Responsible for TSCA Risk Evaluation Fees
This week, I sat down with my colleague, Dr. Richard Engler, Bergeson & Campbell’s Director of Chemistry, to discuss what the fuss is over EPA’s January 27, 2020, issuance of a “preliminary list” of companies responsible for the $1,350,000 per-chemical fee EPA charges to conduct a risk evaluation of a high-priority chemical under TSCA Section 6.  The scope of the entities “on the hook” is far broader than expected, and companies with little understanding of TSCA may be presumptively liable for these fees and TSCA enforcement scrutiny for failure to ... read more >
January 15, 2020
Bergeson & Campbell’s Forecast 2020
This week, I sat down with my colleagues Sheryl Lindros Dolan, Chris Bryant, and Dr. Richard Engler to discuss our fabulous 2020 Forecast, B&C’s and The Acta Group’s (Acta®) richly detailed overview of key trends in U.S. and global chemical law and policy. This 67-page document provides a comprehensive “one-stop” overview of global initiatives for the New Year of which stakeholders in the global chemical market must be aware. My colleagues provide a spirited overview of key developments, speculate on the impact of the U.S. general elections later this year, and ... read more >
December 19, 2019
RCRA Rundown: Hazardous Waste and Sustainable Removal
This week, I sat down with my colleague Christopher Bryant, a Senior Regulatory Consultant here at Bergeson & Campbell. Chris has over 25 years of experience in environmental, health, and safety compliance, and, in particular, hazardous waste management and regulation under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). I asked Chris to the studio to speak with me about RCRA:  what it is, how the law has developed, what is covered under it, and how we might expect -- or hope -- it to change for the better.  We discussed the history and stated goals of RCRA, and why, in our ... read more >
November 21, 2019
Waiting for Lautenberg: A Conversation with Jim Jones
This week, I sat down with Jim Jones, Executive Vice President Strategic Alliances & Industry Relations at the HCPA, or Household & Commercial Products Association. Before moving into the private sector, as many of our listeners know, Jim served a long and very distinguished career with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. Jim began his career in the toxics office, specifically in pesticides, and eventually served as Assistant Administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention in the Obama Administration. We talk about Jim’s ... read more >
October 31, 2019
How Do We Know if a New Technology Is Safe?
This week, I moderated a spirited discussion with two members of the B&C team: Sheryl Dolan, a senior regulatory consultant who specializes in agricultural and biocidal chemical product registration and defense, and Dr. Richard Engler, our Director of Chemistry and a 17-year-veteran of EPA.  Both Sheryl and Rich are expert in marshaling new product chemical technologies through the gauntlet of federal, state, and international chemical product approval. Throughout our discussion, Sheryl and Rich walk us through what it takes to bring a new technology to EPA (or any other ... read more >
October 10, 2019
Food Quality, New TSCA, and Much More: A Conversation with Lynn R. Goldman, Dean, Milken Institute School of Public Health at GWU
This week, I sat down with Lynn R. Goldman, M.D., M.S., M.P.H., Michael and Lori Milken Dean, Milken Institute School of Public Health; Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health. Dr. Goldman is widely regarded as one of the most influential public health physicians of our time and served as Assistant Administrator for Toxic Substances in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 1993 through 1998 under President Bill Clinton.  During her tenure, Dr. Goldman and her team are credited with implementing the 1996 amendments to our nation’s pesticide law, the ... read more >
September 19, 2019
South Korea’s K-REACH: Why it Matters for Everyone with Karin Baron
This week, we have B&C’s and The Acta Group’s Senior Regulatory Consultant, Karin Baron, back in the studio to discuss K-REACH, its recent amendment, and potential harmonization of chemical regulations in the region.  K-REACH is the South Korean government’s industrial chemical substance registration program signed into law in 2013, and effective in 2015. Karin is uniquely well-suited to provide practice tips and information on why our listeners should be aware of what is going on with this South Korea chemical regulatory program.  As a ... read more >
September 5, 2019
Celebrating the Environmental Law Institute’s 50th Anniversary with President Scott Fulton
This week, I sat down with Scott Fulton, President of the Environmental Law Institute, on the occasion of ELI’s 50th anniversary. Scott is ELI’s 5th President. As a former ELI Board member myself and a practicing lawyer in the environmental space, I have known Scott for years given his many high profile roles as a former EPA General Counsel, Assistant Chief of the Environmental Enforcement Section at the U.S. Department of Justice, among other prominent positions. In our conversation, Scott explains the various lines of work in which the ELI is currently engaged, how ... read more >
August 15, 2019
All Things Nano with Lisa E. Friedersdorf, Ph.D.
This week, I sat down with Dr. Lisa E. Friedersdorf, the Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (or NNCO) to discuss all things nano. For anyone in the nano space, Lisa is a rock star and well known to all. To those less familiar, Lisa joined NNCO several years ago, having served as the Associate Director of the Materials Research Center at Lehigh University and Director of the Industry Liaison Program. Lisa was also Director of the Virginia Nanotechnology Initiative. While with the University of Virginia, Lisa served as managing director of the nano STAR ... read more >
July 25, 2019
Food Security and World Hunger with Katherine Meighan, International Fund for Agricultural Development
Last October, at the Annual Meeting of the International Bar Association in Rome, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Katherine Meighan, the General Counsel of IFAD, the International Fund for Agricultural Development.  Katherine gave an eye-opening presentation at the IBA conference on IFAD’s efforts to address the issue of food security and world hunger, and I knew I had to have her on the podcast to share her message and to dig deeper into her work as General Counsel and IFAD’s incredible work in general. Katherine’s unique background has served her ... read more >
June 20, 2019
Environmental Compliance and Enforcement with Environmental Integrity Projects’ Eric Schaeffer
This week, I sat down with a highly-regarded member of the environmental NGO community, Eric Schaeffer, who currently serves as the Executive Director of the Environmental Integrity Project, which he co-founded in 2002. Previously, Eric worked for more than a decade at EPA, including a five-year stint as the Director of EPA’s Office of Civil Enforcement, which, as you will hear in our conversation, was a very formative time for his thinking. At a time when some news outlets and EPA detractors are reporting environmental enforcement numbers to be at historic lows, Eric and I had a great ... read more >
May 28, 2019
Inside OCSPP with EPA Assistant Administrator Alexandra Dapolito Dunn
I am so pleased to present a very special guest this week, the Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP):  Alexandra Dunn.  Alex’s professional training could not be more perfect.  Alex is a lawyer and has practiced in both the private and non-profit sectors.  Alex has taught environmental law at several law schools and, while Dean of Environmental Law Programs at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, focused on environmental justice, a subject on which Alex has written and lectured ... read more >
April 25, 2019
Innovation and New Chemicals in the TSCA Program
We have a repeat guest this week: fan favorite, Dr. Richard Engler, Bergeson & Campbell’s Director of Chemistry and Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) guru-in-residence.  I sat down with Rich to find out more about so-called “New Chemicals” and the challenges faced by not only new chemical manufacturers, but also by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in trying to fulfill its duties as a regulatory gatekeeper. As a seasoned veteran of EPA himself, where he worked for 17 years in the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics’ (OPPT) Green Chemistry ... read more >
April 11, 2019
Ambassador Howard Gutman on What Every CEO Needs to Know Right Now
This week, I invited my friend and business colleague, the former U.S. Ambassador to Belgium, Howard Gutman, into the studio to talk about what every CEO needs to know about the world right now. I know I say this a lot, but it is really true this time around:  We covered a lot of ground in this conversation.  Howard provides his perspective on what to pay attention to with regard to Brexit, energy policy, climate change, trade, the globalized economy, and the 2020 presidential election.  Howard also provides advice on how to manage business perception, create opportunities ... read more >
March 28, 2019
Look Ahead at 2019 with Lynn Bergeson and Jim Aidala
This week, I sat down with my colleague Jim Aidala, a Senior Government Affairs Consultant here at the firm, to discuss 2019 and the state of industrial and agricultural chemical regulation: what is to come, what to expect, and how we can prepare for it. We begin, of course, by looking at 2018, chiefly, the appointment and confirmation of Alexandra Dunn, the new EPA Assistant Administrator in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, the office tasked with administering TSCA and FIFRA.  Jim fills us in on EPA’s current and projected workload and what can be expected ... read more >
March 14, 2019
Trade Roundtable with Daniella Taveau and Daniel R. Pearson
This week, we offer something a little different. My colleague Christopher Bryant, a senior regulatory consultant here at the firm, invited Daniella Taveau and Daniel Pearson into our studio to sit down and talk about trade issues. As you will hear, their conversation ranged far and wide, hitting upon all aspects of the trade discussion which might be relevant to anyone working in the chemical manufacturing space. Listeners will hear about developing a historical context in which to understand the U.S.’ shifting trade policies; analysis and speculation about ... read more >
February 28, 2019
Pesticides: Navigating New Technologies under FIFRA
This week, I sat down with my colleague Sheryl Dolan, a senior regulatory consultant here at Bergeson & Campbell, to discuss all things pesticides: past, present, and future. In our discussion, Sheryl provides the historical and legal/regulatory background necessary to understand the current state of pesticide regulation, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) manages under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, or FIFRA, as we like to call it. Among other interesting topics, Sheryl sheds light on the legal and regulatory differences between conventional ... read more >
February 7, 2019
EU Food Contact Materials Legislation
Recently, the European Commission kicked-off a process to evaluate and likely revise the current EU Food Contact Materials (FCM) legislation. Now, this is a big deal for any stakeholders in this space—domestic or European -- considering that the current legislation has been in in-place for many years and the proliferation of national standards has greatly complicated an already complex area. That is why I was excited when Renato Addis, of the Brussels-based regulatory consulting firm EPPA and this week’s guest, told me that he had been invited to participate in this kick-off ... read more >
January 24, 2019
Biobased Product Regulation
This week, I took part in a roundtable discussion about biobased products with my colleagues Kathleen Roberts and Dr. Rich Engler. Over the last several years, there has been a significant trend towards the use of renewable, bio-based chemicals. Although these chemicals often have similar, if not identical, functionalities as the non-renewable, fossil-based chemical that they are intended to replace, there are a number of regulatory challenges in bringing these to market. In this conversation, we discuss what these commercial challenges are, why the EPA has, in most cases, “pre ... read more >
January 10, 2019
“Dis-harmonization” of GHS
This week, I sat down with Karin Baron, a senior regulatory consultant here at Bergeson & Campbell and all around expert on chemical product labeling to discuss recent developments pertinent to the United States Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). These regulatory developments have been proposed to bring the HCS more in line with GHS, the Global Hazard Communication Standard. Karin unpacks this complex but really important area of the law and focuses on the aspirational and important goals of harmonization, in a way that focuses on the realities of a world that actually ensures ... read more >
December 13, 2018
TSCA and Stalled Innovation
Recently, we published a 3 part article with Bloomberg News entitled: New Chemicals Under New TSCA—Stalled Commercialization. This week, I sat down with Charles Auer, a Senior Regulatory and Policy advisor here at the firm, and Dr. Richard Engler, our Director of Chemistry, two of my co-authors on this article to talk about it. Our thesis is simple: EPA’s interpretation of our brand new industrial chemical law, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, signed into law in June 2016, needs to change. We believe that Congress never intended ... read more >
November 29, 2018
Confidential Business Information under TSCA
This week, I sat down with Dr. Richard Engler, our Director of Chemistry, to discuss Confidential Business Information (CBI). CBI is both a term of art under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and can be understood broadly to be anything from trade secrets to you know, the secret sauce of a chemical formulation that makes a product profitable. In our conversation, we focused on how this concept of CBI functions under TSCA and how businesses need to handle CBI during the EPA’s chemical review process. Rich is the perfect person to discuss the concept of CBI. Rich is 17-year veteran ... read more >
November 15, 2018
Chemical Regulation in the Middle East
This week, I sat down with Michael Wenk, one of our senior regulatory consultants, to discuss his new book Chemical Regulation in the Middle East. Michael’s book focuses on eight countries in the Middle East that have a combination of well developed and emerging chemical regulatory schemes. His book provides a comprehensive examination of the main chemical management laws in force for each particular country, and summarizes general trends and issues facing the region as a whole. Michael has managed global regulatory affairs and product stewardship divisions at Fortune 500 chemical and ... read more >
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