Thursday 04 February 2010 at 12:45 am
In 2009 the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) proposed changes to the notification of new chemical substances. The new regulation has been dubed China REACh, since it introduces a tiered system of testing and notification akin to the European REACh system. The legislative amendments are intended to only affect new chemicals after the adoption date...not chemicals already listed on the Inventory of the Existing Chemical Substances in China (IECSC). The law is expected to come into force in October 2010.
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Monday 01 February 2010 at 6:28 pm
On January 27, 2010 the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule amending the Polymer Exemption rule to exclude certain perfluoroalkyl moieties consisting of CF3- or longer chain lengths. The rule will become effective on February 26, 2010 and will affect polymers that contain any one or more of the following:
- Perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFAS),
- perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFAC),
- fluorotelomers, or
- perfluoroalkyl moieties that are covalently bound to either a carbon or sulfur atom where the carbon or sulfur atom is an integral part of the polymer molecule (affected polymers).
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Friday 22 January 2010 at 04:39 am
On January 21, 2010 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice through the Federal Register regarding CBI (Confidential Business Information) claims for information submitted under Section 8(e) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). It is the EPA's intention going forward to reject certain confidentiality claims, specifically the chemical identity, where the substance is already non-confidentially listed on the TSCA inventory. Section 8(e) submissions relate to new data and studies, which show substantial risk of existing materials to people's health and the environment. In the past the information had been posted with the identity masked, if CBI was claimed; this will no longer be the case. The intention of this change in policy is to make chemical information more transparent and readily available to the public.
Wednesday 06 January 2010 at 2:21 pm
On January 6, 2010, the EPA issued a final rule to amend the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) section 5 reporting regulations. The amendments establish electronic reporting requirements for TSCA section 5 submissions. The final rule is effective as of April 6, 2010 and will establish requirements for using EPA's Central Data Exchange (CDX) to electronically submit premanufacture notices (PMNs) and other TSCA section 5 notices. EPA is also amending TSCA section 5 user fee regulations by adding a new User Fee Payment Identity Number field to the PMN form, to enable the Agency to match more easily a particular user fee with its notice submission. Lastly, EPA is amending the PMN form by removing the Agent signature block field and thus the requirement for designated agents to sign the form.
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Monday 04 January 2010 at 8:53 pm
2010 will be a year filled with regulatory challenges in chemical compliance both in the US and elsewhere. Most notibly, re-registration work will accelerate and will be required for the EU under its new REACh chemical notificaiton system. Additionally, there are anticipated changes to TSCA in the US and with the implementation of the GHS hazard communication requirements globally.
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Monday 04 January 2010 at 7:16 pm
The EPA announced on December 30th, that it intends to establish a list of chemicals of concern. This is just one action being taken to strengthen and reform chemical management in the US. The initial set of chemicals includes phthalates, short-chain chlorinated paraffins, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and perfluorinated chemicals, including PFOA. Steps will be taken under the authority of Secion 6 of TSCA. This is the first time EPA has used TSCA’s authority to list chemicals that “may present an unreasonable risk of injury to health and the environment.” More information on EPA’s legislative reform principles and a fact sheet on the complete set of actions on the four chemicals:
http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/index.html.
Monday 04 January 2010 at 7:03 pm
Selected dates for the 2010 calendar year of regulatory importance are listed. This list is periodically updated and should not be viewed as all inclusive.
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Friday 18 December 2009 at 8:04 pm
The rule requires reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from large sources and suppliers in the United States, and is intended to collect accurate and timely emissions data to inform future policy decisions. Under the rule, suppliers of fossil fuels or industrial greenhouse gases, manufacturers of vehicles and engines, and facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons or more per year of GHG emissions are required to submit annual reports to EPA. The gases covered by the proposed rule are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and other fluorinated gases including nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and hydrofluorinated ethers (HFE). Affected manufacturering facilities must begin monitoring on January 1, 2010. By March 31, 2011, these companies must submit the first annual report to the EPA. See the
EPA site for more details.
Saturday 21 November 2009 at 03:00 am
The US EPA is proposing significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for multi-walled and single-walled carbon nanotubes. These substances are already subject to TSCA section 5(e) consent orders. The consent orders require protective measures to limit exposures or otherwise mitigate the potential unreasonable risk. The proposed SNURs on these substances are based on and consistent with the provisions in the underlying consent orders. Comments must be received by the EPA by December 7, 2009.
Saturday 21 November 2009 at 02:48 am
On October 21, 2009, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice for the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) Tier 1 screening for the first group of 67 chemicals by issuing orders between October 29, 2009, and February 26, 2010. Orders will be issued based on inclusion on the "Pesticide Inert Ingredients Data Submitters and Suppliers List" (PIIDSSL). The EDSP Tier 1 screening data required to satisfy an order are due within 2 years of the date of issuance of the order. Other parties with information will have the opportunity to submit relevant data to the agency within 90 days of the order date. While most of the chemicals are specific to pesticide use, there are materials, such as phthalates and acetone, which are used more broadly. More information can be obtained from
www.epa.gov/endo.
