The website safety.blr.com has a short piece on GHS:

The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) is a coherent approach to defining and classifying chemical hazards and communicating that information, according to presenters at a recent audio conference sponsored by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE).

Mary Frances Lowe of EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), and Jennifer Silk, an occupational safety and health consultant who recently retired from OSHA, detailed the various elements of GHS and what the U.S. government is doing to implement the system.

GHS elements include classification criteria for health, environmental, and physical hazards for all hazardous chemical substances, dilute solutions, and mixtures. In addition, the system establishes criteria for hazard communication through labels and safety data sheets.

The full article is available here.

Nexreg has more information on GHS at the following links:

• GHS Strategic Planning
• 全球统一制度战略规划
• Planification stratégique SGH
• 化学品の分類と調和に関する世界調和システム (GHS) 戦略的計画
• GHS 전략 기획
• Planificación Estratégica de GHS

To speak to a Nexreg representative about how GHS will impact your company, please call or e-mail Nexreg at:

Nexreg Canada: (519)488-5126 (London, ON)
Nexreg UK: +44 020 7993 5893 (London, UK)
Nexreg USA: (206)418-6663 (Seattle, WA)
E-mail:info@nexreg.com

Issued this week by the OEHHA – two Prop 65 notices:

Notice of Adoption to Text of Regulations

Title 22, California Code of Regulations

Amendment to Section 12805

Maximum Allowable Dose Levels (MADLs) for Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (by Intravenous Injection)

Full text available here

Notice of Adoption to Text of Regulations

Title 22, California Code of Regulations

Amendment to Section 12805

Maximum Allowable Dose Levels (MADLs) for Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (by Oral Exposure)

Full text available here.

Health Canada recently issued this release on the labeling of the drug Tamiflu

Health Canada wishes to inform Canadians that the Canadian labelling for Tamiflu has recently been updated to include new safety information resulting from adverse reaction reports of abnormal or suicidal behaviour in Japanese children or teenagers taking Tamiflu. As of February 28, 2007, there have been no Canadian reports of deaths or psychiatric adverse events such as abnormal or suicidal behaviour in children or teenagers.

Health Canada has also received preliminary information on eight new cases in Japan of self-harm in patients taking Tamiflu, and is aware that Japan has now restricted use of Tamiflu in patients 10 to 19 years old. Further information is expected from the manufacturer, Hoffman-LaRoche Limited, and appropriate measures will be taken if necessary following analysis.

The full release is available here“

Andrea McCreery of the Roseville and Rocklin Today discussed possible Prop 65 warnings to be added to some potato products. Here is a snippet:

“I estimate that acrylamide causes several thousand cancers per year in Americans,” said Clark University research professor Dale Hattis. Hattis, an expert in risk analysis, based his estimate on standard EPA projections of risks from animal studies and limited sampling of acrylamide levels in Swedish and American foods.

Acrylamide forms as a result of unknown chemical reactions during high-temperature baking or frying. Raw or even boiled potatoes test negative for the chemical. CSPI today urged the FDA to inform the public of the risks from acrylamide in different foods, and to work with industry and academia to understand how acrylamide is formed and how to prevent its formation.

“There has long been reason for Americans to eat less greasy French fries and snack chips,” Jacobson said. “Acrylamide is yet another reason to eat less of those foods.”

A California attorney has formally demanded that McDonald’s and Burger King place a cancer warning on their French fries, as required by the state’s Proposition 65. Burger King faces a legal deadline of late June and McDonald’s of early July to respond.

The World Health Organization (WHO) held a three-day closed meeting in Geneva with 23 scientific experts specializing in carcinogenicity, toxicology, food technology, biochemistry and analytical chemistry convened to discuss the health ramifications of the acrylamide discovery, which has since been confirmed by the British, Swiss, and Norwegian governments.

For the full article, see: Carcinogen in Snack Chips and French Fries

More on implementation of REACH and the potential cost to the chemical industry:

The UK has become one of the first countries in the EU to issue draft proposals on enforcing the bloc’s new chemicals controls law, due to add to the regulatory cost burden faced by industry.

The UK estimates that the direct cost of to all domestic industry to be £515m (€390m) over 11 years.

The EU directive, called the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH), will apply not only to chemicals manufacturers or suppliers, but to any business that uses chemicals.

The individual member state laws, once implemented, would require information about the characteristics and any hazards associated with a particular chemical.

For more information, see: UK issues consultation on enforcing EU chemicals law

We expect this story will be of great interest to our clients and friends in the paint and coatings industry:

The European Union plans to drop a threat to impose tariffs on imports from the U.S., China, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine of a chemical used in paints, denying protection for EU producers including Sweden’s Perstorp AB.

The European Commission aims to close an inquiry into whether the five countries’ pentaerythritol exporters, anomg them Wilmington-based Hercules, sold the product in Europe below domestic prices or below the production cost, a practice known as “dumping.” Commission investigators said dumping they detected by some exporters doesn’t justify punitive duties demanded by EU producers to stem sales and profit declines.

“It cannot be concluded that the dumped imports taken in isolation have caused material injury” to the European industry, the commission, the 27-nation EU’s trade authority in Brussels, said in a draft report obtained by Bloomberg News. The report, due to be approved by EU governments next week, recommends that no anti-dumping duties be imposed.

For the full article, see: EU to drop threat of paint-chemical tax.

Position: Sales Representative – China

Nexreg is rapidly expanding and is looking to add experienced members to our salesforce. Our ideal candidate is an experienced, personable, self-starter.

Location: China.

Salary: Fixed-rate commission. Can either be full or part-time.

Target Market:

• Chinese based companies who wish to sell their chemical products, either at the retail or business-to-business level, in the United States, Canada and Europe. Nexreg provides services such as MSDS authoring, label creation, and government registrations, to ensure compliancy with local laws.

Qualifications:

• Must be fluent in Mandarin and English.
• Experience in the manufacturing and industrial sectors.
• Sales experience an asset.

If interested, please e-mail cover letter and current resume ATTN: Gary Clark, International Sales Manager to info@nexreg.com.

Additional Nexreg Job Postings:

• Canadian Regulatory Consultant

Britt Bailey, Director of Environmental Commons, discusses potential state-level laws for the labeling of GMOs:

Now, four states are carrying bills making the agricultural biotechnology industry liable in the event another contamination occurs. Three states are hearing bills calling for a moratorium on food crops genetically engineered to produce pharmaceuticals. Illinois and Tennessee are calling for labeling of foods derived from genetically engineered crops. Five states, California, Hawaii, Minnesota, New York, and South Dakota, are calling for notification systems in which genetically modified foods become a part of the public record.

For the full piece see: States Introduce Numerous Bills to Regulate Genetically Modified Foods.

The North Jersey Media group has an extensive article on U.S. cosmetic labeling. Here is a snippet:

“Sodium lauryl sulfate, a common ingredient that causes shampoo, toothpaste and soap to foam, can be very damaging to the skin, especially to the eyes. But if you just put ‘SLS’ in the ingredient list, no one will know that’s what it is,” Conway said.

Some potentially harmful ingredients aren’t listed at all. Phthalates, linked to reproductive damage, are a common hidden element of fragrances in body lotions, hair sprays, perfumes and deodorants, according to the most recent issue of Consumer Reports’ ShopSmart magazine. It recommends using perfume no more than every other day and seeking out unscented personal-care items.

Label phrases like “dermatologist tested,” “all natural” and “hypoallergenic” don’t mean much, warns the FDA. Ditto for the word “Dr.” in a brand name.

Concerns about conventional cosmetics are to thank for an increase in mass-marketed organic and/or plant-based personal-care products, a category that only recently consisted of not much beyond the Tom’s of Maine brand — which also is growing.

For the full article, see: Potentially toxic cosmetics have some people worried.

The Washington Times discusses cosmetic labeling in an article aimed towards the consumer:

Skin care, of course, embraces many problems and products, with the latter overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration only when the skin’s physical structure is likely to be changed dramatically in some way by application. Most cleansers and moisturizers are over-the-counter offerings that do not require FDA pre-market approval, but by law ingredients must be named and listed in descending order of quantity.

However, that doesn’t tell a customer which ones are the most effective — to learn when quality trumps quantity. And such formulations — the various manufacturers’ mixtures and methods — generally are patented. Only a research chemist knows for sure what works best and why.