Memoranda

On March 30 and 31, 2011, the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold a Food Advisory Committee meeting on the possible link between synthetic dyes in food products and behavioral issues in children, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Members of the Food Advisory Committee have been charged to “consider available relevant data on the possible association between consumption of certified color...

Now that the number of substances included on the European Union’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Candidate List is up to 47 and counting, it is important to pay closer attention to requirements pertaining to substances of very high concern (SVHC). Article 7 of REACH requires producers, importers, and suppliers of articles to notify the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) of the presence in articles of SVHCs that have been on the Candidate...

Effective April 18, 2011, Jim Willis, Director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) Chemical Control Division (CCD), will join the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as the Executive Secretary of the Basel, Stockholm, and Rotterdam Conventions. Willis has been with EPA for more than 20 years in various staff through senior management positions. He also worked with UNEP for a number of years before returning to...

On March 12, 2011, China’s State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) issued Decree 591, “Regulation on the Safe Management of Dangerous Chemicals,” which concerns the safe use of chemicals. The regulation is very wide ranging in scope and “sets the tone” for future chemicals legislation. As one of the more immediate impacts, State Decree 591 uses the National Standards GB 13690-2009 on the general rules for the classification and hazard communication of chemicals,...

Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated its table listing the sunset dates of chemicals subject to final Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 4 and related Section 12(b) actions. The table lists, in ascending Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Registry Number order, all chemical substances and mixtures that are and/or have been the subject of final TSCA Section 4 test rules and/or TSCA Section 4 enforceable consent agreements/orders (ECA) issued by EPA under...

On March 11, 2011, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the availability of the SaferProducts.gov database mandated by Congress, as part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. CPSC encourages consumers to visit www.SaferProducts.gov to submit reports of harm or risks of harm, and to search for safety information on products they own or may be considering buying. According to CPSC, reporting product safety incidents through the site will help CPSC...

On March 4, 2011, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) proposed to list four chemicals as known to the State to cause cancer under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Prop 65) under the “Labor Code mechanism” for listing contained in Health and Safety Code Section 25249.8(a). The four substances are: Chemical CAS No. Endpoint Reference Cyclopenta[cd]pyrene 27208-37-3 Cancer (2010a; 2010b) Ethanol in alcoholic beverages —...

March 1, 2011, is the deadline for owners or operators of facilities covered under Section 312 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) to file annual “Tier II” reporting forms to the appropriate state and local agencies. Under EPCRA Section 312, any facility required under Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations to maintain material safety data sheets (MSDS) for hazardous chemicals and that stores these chemicals on-site during the...

On February 10, 2011, during a hearing on “Regulatory Impediments to Job Creation,” the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released a preliminary staff report entitled Assessing Regulatory Impediments to Job Creation. In December 2010, Committee Chair Darrell Issa (R-CA) sent letters to over 150 businesses, industry organizations, and think tanks asking for examples of existing and proposed regulations that have negatively impacted job growth, as well as...

Both Turkey and South Korea are working to implement chemical management programs to comply with broader international initiatives. In December 2009, Turkey implemented new legislation concerning the classification, labeling, and packaging (CLP) of dangerous substances and preparations, and a regulation on safety data sheets (SDS) for dangerous substances and preparations. South Korea has initiated a process for the management of chemicals, with the objective of minimizing the harmful effects...