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Co-hosted by the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group (BRAG™), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and George Washington University (GWU) August 5-7, 2014, at the GWU Campus in Washington, D.C. ABOUT THE WORKSHOP: During this hands-on three-day workshop, you will learn about a variety of tools, methods, and models that can be used to assess the hazard and potential exposure of chemicals. Methods addressed will include hazard and risk screening for human...

On June 26, 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a public meeting to discuss the proposed changes to the nutrition label and serving sizes. The meeting was attended by interested parties both in Washington, D.C. and via webcast. The Acting U.S. Surgeon General, Rear Admiral Boris D. Lushniak, M.D., M.P.H., gave the opening remarks stating the importance of these changes in relation to the Surgeon General's national prevention strategy started in June 2011. FDA has posted...

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has stepped-up its enforcement initiatives and recently settled two cases with companies that market plastic lumber and related products. FTC alleged that these companies misled consumers in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC Act) in their marketing materials regarding the environmental attributes of their products. Specifically, these cases hinge on claims related to the recycled content and post-consumer content of their products....

Bloomberg BNA Daily Environment Report reported on Lynn L. Bergeson’s comments regarding final nanotechnology guidances released by the Food and Drug Administration. “The guidances reaffirm the FDA’s position that it has sufficient statutory authorities and policies to oversee the safety of products it regulates, Bergeson said. She expanded on that perspective in a memo her law firm issued. The FDA also restated its view that nanotechnology isn’t inherently safe or harmful,...

On June 24, 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued three final guidances and one draft guidance that it intends to provide "greater regulatory clarity for industry on the use of nanotechnology in FDA-regulated products." One final guidance addresses FDA's overall approach for all products that it regulates, while the two additional final guidances and the new draft guidance provide specific guidance for the areas of foods, cosmetics, and food for animals, respectively. FDA...

Under Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Section 3(e), a registrant may distribute or sell its registered product under another person's name and address instead of (or in addition to) its own without a separate FIFRA Section 3 registration. Such distribution and sale is termed "supplemental distribution" (sometimes referred to as a sub-registration) and the product is referred to as a "distributor product." FIFRA § 3(e), 7 U.S.C. § 136a(e); 40 C.F.R. § 152.132. The...

Far from slowing down as the dog days of summer approach, BRAG and its growing membership have been highly visible and actively working to smooth the regulatory path for, and advance the commercialization of, biobased chemicals. And the pace is only going to pick-up as the temperature rises. BRAG is: Shaping Biobased Policy BRAG is engaged with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff concerning BRAG's petition for reduced reporting requirements for certain biobased chemical substances...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on June 12, 2014, safer alternatives to flame retardants currently used in consumer and commercial products, including building insulation and products with flexible polyurethane foam. According to EPA, flame retardant chemicals such as hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and pentabromodiphenyl ether (pentaBDE) "raise concerns for human health and the environment including potential reproductive, developmental, and neurological effects and can...

Co-Editor-in-Chief Larry P. Walker, Ph.D., announced that Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and President of B&C Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM), has been appointed to the editorial board of Industrial Biotechnology, the journal of biobased innovation driving the global bioeconomy published bimonthly by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Publishers. In making the announcement, Dr. Walker commented that "Ms. Bergeson's membership on the...

Within the next 12-18 months, companies are facing multiple deadlines for various country adaptations of the United Nations' Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (UN GHS). These include major re-evaluations of how chemical mixtures and substances are classified, re-authoring of Safety Data Sheets (SDS), and re-labeling requirements for the U.S., the European Region, Brazil, Serbia, Malaysia, Australia, and South Africa. Each country or region has adopted...