All Knowledge & Insights By Date

On August 20, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is seeking to add chitosan to the list of active ingredients allowed for in minimum risk pesticides exempted from pesticide registration requirements under Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Section 25(b).  A minimum risk product must meet six specific conditions to be exempted from pesticide registration.  One of those conditions is that the active ingredient in the minimum...

The Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), formerly the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), issued the “Measures on the Environmental Management of New Chemical Substances” (MEE Order No. 12) on April 29, 2020, which will replace the current MEP Order No. 7 on January 1, 2021. To implement MEE Order No. 12, the MEE released the “Guidance for Environmental Management Registration of New Chemical Substances (Draft for Consultation)” (Draft...

On August 10, 2020, Bloomberg Environment featured comments by Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) regarding water utilities requesting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) use all its regulatory tools to safeguard drinking water as it decides whether to allow new chemicals into U.S. commerce. The utilities’ efforts are part of a broader trend in which new businesses are recognizing the chemicals law can...

On August 11, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the final risk evaluation for 1-bromopropane (1-BP). After evaluating 25 conditions of use, EPA determined that 16 present an unreasonable risk to workers, occupational non-users (ONU), consumers, and bystanders. EPA found no unreasonable risk to the environment from any conditions of use and no unreasonable risks to the general population. According to EPA, the next step in the process required by the Toxic Substances...

On September 4, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published two Federal Register notices regarding the risk evaluations for the 20 high-priority chemicals designated in December 2019. In the first notice, EPA announced the availability of the final scope documents for the risk evaluations to be conducted under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for the 20 high-priority substances. 85 Fed. Reg. 55281. The scope document for each chemical substance...

B&C To Present At PSX Virtual Conference September 15-17, 2020: PSX 2020, presented by the Product Stewardship Society (PSS), is designed to support professional growth by providing education relevant to current, emerging, and future issues in product stewardship. This year’s virtual event will feature comments from Lynn L. Bergeson, President, PSS, and Chair, Board of Directors, and Managing Partner, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®). B&C...

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...

On July 28, 2020, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change held an oversight hearing entitled “There's Something in the Water: Reforming Our Nation's Drinking Water Standards.” The hearing concentrated on the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and the provisions of its standard-setting process as administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and whether legislative reform is necessary to ensure safe drinking water nation-wide. The logistical...

On July 27, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated a final significant use rule (SNUR) for long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylate (LCPFAC) and perfluoroalkyl sulfonate chemical substances. 85 Fed. Reg. 45109. EPA first proposed a SNUR for LCPFAC and perfluoroalkyl sulfonate chemical substances on January 21, 2015. 80 Fed. Reg. 2885. On March 3, 2020, EPA issued a proposed supplemental SNUR for LCPFAC chemical substances that would make...

On May 9, 2020, the European Commission (EC) began a public consultation on a roadmap for “Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability.” The roadmap states that the regulatory framework on chemicals needs to be strengthened to increase further the level of protection of human health and the environment -- in particular from exposure to endocrine disruptors; combinations of chemicals; hazardous chemicals in products, including in imports; and very persistent chemicals. The regulatory...