February 22, 2021

Richard E. Engler, Ph.D. and Jeffery T. Morris, Ph.D., “Why the US EPA can, and should, evaluate the risk-reducing role a new chemical may play if allowed on the market,” Chemical Watch, February 22, 2021.

In the 21st century, we take as given a continuous stream of new and better products. From electronics to building materials to transportation solutions, the flow of new and better products and applications seems unending. New chemical substances play a fundamental role in creating those products and making existing products better. If the pipeline of new chemicals were closed off, the flow of new products and applications would slow to a trickle and eventually dry...
February 4, 2021

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Environmental Justice: Operationalizing TSCA to Fulfill Its Destiny,” American College of Environmental Lawyers (ACOEL) Blog, February 4, 2021.

The Biden Administration has embraced environmental justice with unprecedented gusto.  In its July 2020 Plan to Secure Environmental Justice and Equitable Economic Opportunity (Plan), the Biden Administration sets out in broad terms how it intends to use an “All-of-Government” approach to “rooting out systemic racism in our laws, policies, institutions, and hearts.”...
February 2, 2021

Lynn L. Bergeson, “OECD Will Hold Webinar on Assessing the Dispersion Stability and Dissolution of Nanomaterials in the Environment,” Nanotechnology Now, February 2, 2021.

On February 25, 2021, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will hold a webinar on “Assessing the dispersion stability and dissolution (rate) of nanomaterials in the environment” to discuss the scope, content, and use of Test Guideline No. 318: Dispersion Stability of Nanomaterials in Simulated Environmental Media and its accompanying guidance document. ...
January 1, 2021

Lynn L. Bergeson and Lara A. Hall, “M&A activity in the analytical services sector: points to consider,” Financier Worldwide, January 2021.

There has been remarkable consolidation in the analytical services sector in the US and elsewhere globally over the past few years. Make no mistake; the need for analytical and related testing services is growing significantly. Because of the legal and regulatory frameworks that demand such services, however, there is considerable need for attendant technical expertise to staff these laboratories, and the need for specialised expertise is also growing exponentially. This article summarises...
December 1, 2020

Lynn L. Bergeson and Eve C. Gartner, “The essentials of TSCA practice,” ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources Trends, November/December 2020.

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is not the arcane federal law it once was. Amended in 2016 in response to a demand so loud and persistent from nongovernmental organizations, consumers, and, eventually, the industrial chemical community that Congress could no longer ignore it, TSCA is now a force with which to be reckoned. While the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) implementation of the 2016 Lautenberg Act that amended TSCA invites criticism among stakeholders, there...
September 1, 2020

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Off to the Races—CDR Reporting Begins!,” Washington Watch, Fall 2020.

As the expression goes, it is that time of year again.  Section 8 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requires manufacturers, including importers, to provide the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with information on the production and use of chemicals in commerce at four-year intervals.  The last reporting cycle for the requirement, known as the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) requirement, was in 2016, so TSCA stakeholders have been gearing up since then for the...
August 1, 2020

S. Bhandari, P. Delmonte, M. Honigfort, W. Yan, F. Dionisi, M. Fleith, D. Iassonova, L. Bergeson, “Regulatory Changes Affecting the Production and Use of Fats and Oils: Focus on Partially Hydrogenated Oils,” Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, Volume 97, Issue 8, August 2020.

Partially hydrogenated oils (PHO), the products of incomplete catalytic hydrogenation of food oils, have been widely employed by the food industry for more than a century. Their exceptional stability and technologic characteristics made them the preferred choice for the production of several food products including margarines, bakery goods, and frying oils. Some of these highly prized characteristics were provided by the high content in trans fatty acids (TFA), defined as fatty acids with one...
July 14, 2020

Lynn L. Bergeson, Charles M. Auer, and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., “What Lies Ahead for the Next Four Years of TSCA?,” Chemical Watch, July 14, 2020.

The Frank R Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act is four years old. While to some 22 June 2016 seems like yesterday, the past four years have been transformational. The US EPA has worked hard, been timely and done well in thoughtfully implementing the changes.  Anniversaries tend to inspire reflection on the past, and this year was no exception. The Environmental Law Institute, Bergeson & Campbell and the George Washington University Milken Institute...
June 1, 2020

Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA-Initiated TSCA Risk Evaluations: Who Is on the Hook for Fees Has Changed,” Washington Watch, Summer 2020.

Under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has authority to collect fees from chemical manufacturers and importers to defray a portion of the EPA costs associated with risk evaluation efforts. The fees are quite substantial and who pays them has been the subject of considerable debate and uncertainty. This column addresses issues that have caused confusion and anxiety for industry stakeholders regarding the self-identification criteria,...
April 1, 2020

Lynn L. Bergeson, “Chemical Importers are on the Hook for TSCA Risk Evaluation Fees,” Elements, the Magazine of Chemicals Northwest, Spring 2020.

Is your company potentially liable for a share of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) $1,350,000 fee for developing a Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) risk evaluation? This is a hot topic these days, given EPA’s notice dated January 27, 2020, identifying the “preliminary lists” of manufacturers, including importers, of the 20 chemical substances that EPA has designated as “high-priority” substances for risk evaluation and for which fees will be charged. Stakeholders are...