All Knowledge & Insights By Date

The Acta Group, L.L.C.'s (Acta) thoughts are below on what may be headed our way in 2011 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP). In short, the general trends established by the Obama Administration during the past two years are expected to continue notwithstanding the 2010 election results. At the same time, the impact of the election results, notably with the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives, will...

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) released a December 23, 2010, letter from Linda S. Adams, California's Secretary for Environmental Protection to Assembly Member Mike Feuer, the author of the 2008 law (A.B. 1879) that would require regulations to address chemicals and chemical ingredients in consumer products. In the letter, Secretary Adams responded to Feuer's letter outlining his concerns about the DTSC's November 16, 2010, release of revisions to its "Safer...

On December 17, 2010, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued proposed regulations that would specify hazard traits, environmental and toxicological endpoints, and other relevant data that are to be included in the Toxics Information Clearinghouse (Clearinghouse) the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) will develop. CDTSC will use information from the Clearinghouse to help identify chemicals of concern in consumer products as part of...

On November 16, 2010, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) released revisions to its safer consumer product alternatives regulations for a 15-day comment period. The proposed regulations pertain to the identification and prioritization of chemicals of concern in consumer products, evaluation of their alternatives, and regulatory responses for selected alternatives. CDTSC held a public hearing on November 1, 2010, during which it accepted written and oral testimony. In...

On September 22, 2010, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a public workshop on state and federal nanomaterial activities. During the workshop, CDTSC and EPA discussed the results of California's data call-in (DCI) for carbon nanotubes (CNT), its plans for future DCIs, and EPA's efforts related to CNTs. More information, including the meeting presentations, is available online. The candidate chemicals for...

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) has released its proposed regulations for safer consumer product alternatives. Under the proposed regulations, CDTSC would create a list of chemicals that it deems toxic and believes could harm people or the environment. CDTSC would prioritize products containing those chemicals based upon such factors as the volume in commerce, the extent of public exposure, and how the product is eventually disposed. Manufacturers of those products...

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) released on June 23, 2010, the draft regulations for safer consumer product alternatives. CDTSC states that the draft regulations "would prioritize toxic chemicals and products, require manufacturers to seek safer alternatives to toxic chemicals in their products, and create tough governmental responses for lack of compliance." Under the draft regulations, CDTSC would create a list of chemicals that it deems toxic and believes could...

On June 9, 2010, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) held a conference entitled "Alternatives Analysis Symposium I: Issues and Evolution, Capitalizing on Success." CDTSC states that the alternatives analysis process for chemicals used in consumer products is a "core element" of California's Green Chemistry Initiative, and that identifying alternatives is a complex process, involving an analysis of a chemical's impact on human health and the environment. According to...