A recent release from the OEHHA:

The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Proposition 65 or the Act) which is codified at Health and Safety Code section 25249.5 et seq., requires the Governor to publish, and update at least annually, a list of chemicals known to the State to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. The Act describes the mechanisms for administratively listing chemicals as known to the State to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity (Health and Safety Code section 25249.8.)…

A public forum to present oral comments and to discuss the scientific data and other information concerning whether these chemicals meet the criteria for listing set forth in Section 12306 will be scheduled only upon request. Such request must be submitted in writing no later than 30 days before the close of the comment period on Tuesday, March 25, 2008. The written request must be sent to OEHHA at the address listed below no later than Friday, February 22, 2008…

Chemicals which may meet the criteria set forth in Section 12306 for listing as known to cause cancer via the “authoritative bodies” mechanism:

Chemical – CAS No. – Toxicological Endpoints – Reference

Dibromoacetic acid – 631-64-1 – cancer – NTP (2007a)

4-Methylimidazole – 822-36-6 – cancer – NTP (2007b).

Click on the above link for the full release.

Recent Release from the OEHHA:

Announcement of Chemicals Selected by OEHHA for Consideration for Listing by the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee and Request for Relevant Information on the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity of These Chemicals: Bisphenol-A, Chlorpyrifos, Chromium, DDE, Sulfur dioxide

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is the lead agency for the implementation of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986* (Proposition 65). The Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee (DARTIC) of OEHHA’s Science Advisory Board serves as the State’s qualified experts for rendering an opinion whether a chemical has been clearly shown through scientifically valid testing according to generally accepted principles to cause reproductive toxicity. The chemicals identified by the DARTIC are added to the Proposition 65 list, which must be updated annually.

OEHHA has selected five chemicals for the Committee’s review for possible listing under Proposition 65 and is initiating the development of hazard identification materials on these chemicals…

Chemical [ CAS No. ]

Bisphenol-A [ 80-05-7 ]

Chlorpyrifos [ 2921-88-2 ]

Chromium (hexavalent) [ 18540-29-2 ]

DDE [ 72-55-9 ]

Sulfur dioxide [ 7446-09-5 ]

For more information, click on the above link.

Electronics Supply and Manufacturing on RoHS and REACH:

The Government Relations and Environment, Health and Safety Committees of IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries have submitted comments in response to the European Commission’s request for industry participation regarding the review of the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive…

IPC is advocating for a full life cycle assessment — a comprehensive evaluation of the design, use and end-of-life impacts — of proposed substitutes before any changes take effect. IPC is also asking the Commission to consider that any further substance restrictions be regulated under the current Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals substances (REACH) Directive to avoid unnecessary confusion and, “to prevent overlapping and duplicative chemical regulations.”

A copy of IPC’s comments is available at: www.ipc.org/commentRoHS.

For more information, click on the above title.

Cosmetics Design-Europe on proposed changes to EU cosmetics regs:

Current EU cosmetics legislation will be amended forcing manufacturers to tighten safety assessment procedures while simplifying certain existing regulations.

With particular emphasis on requirements related to product safety, the latest proposals are an attempt to update and simplify the current EU regulatory system, which was originally laid down in 1976.

The European Commission is expected to announce the proposed changes in February, when the political process will begin with the new rules likely to come into force in 2009.

Click on the above link for more information.

A recently release from Health Canada annoucing three document releases related to Natural Health Products:

1 – IMPORTANT NOTICE regarding the compliance date for Priority 5 natural health products:

Document 1

2 – New Post Licensing Guidance Document. This new guidance document provides information on the different types of post licensing changes as well as recommendations for licencees on how to submit the required documentation to Health Canada. The document is available at:

Document 2

3 – Revised Application for International Trade Certificate for Natural Health Products Guidance Document. Modifications have been made
specifically to Chapter 3.3. of this guidance document, which is available at:

Document 3.

Occupational Hazards discusses OSHA in 2007. Of parricular interest is the section on GHS:

Many experts are concerned OSHA’s current approach has prompted it to lag behind other countries in adopting new occupational safety and health policies and standards. A case in point is the adoption of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), introduced by the United Nations in 2003, with the hope of global adoption by 2008. Three countries – New Zealand, Bahrain and Mauritius—have already adopted GHS. Japan, Australia, and Brazil have started implementation activities and the EU is currently drafting GHS legislation.

“Here we [U.S.] are entering 2008 and we have seen nothing,” Trippler exclaims. “We have put out some little advanced notice for some comments on the hazcom [standard] dealing with GHS, and that’s it.”

For more on OSHA and GHS, please see the full article.

A press release from the American Herbal Products Association summarizes the guidance:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued two Federal Register notices to announce the availability of draft guidance documents on labeling of dietary supplements and nonprescription drugs, respectively, as required by the Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act. This law, which went into effect on December 22, 2007, requires marketers of dietary supplements and nonprescription drugs to maintain records of received adverse event reports associated with their products and to submit serious adverse event reports to FDA. The law also requires labels to bear “a domestic address or domestic phone number through which the responsible person … may receive a report of a serious adverse event.”

These new guidance documents specifically address three labeling issues:

• That a domestic address included on a label to satisfy the address or phone number requirement of the law must include “a full U.S. mailing address that includes the street address or P.O. box, city, state, and zip code;” or
• That a domestic phone number that serves to satisfy the address or phone number requirement of the law on a label must include the area code; and
• That FDA “recommends that the label also bear a clear, prominent statement informing consumers that the domestic address or phone number is for reporting serious adverse events associated with use of the product.”

In both of the newly issued draft guidance documents, FDA states that it will exercise enforcement discretion for any new labeling requirements associated with this law until January 1, 2009.

For more information see the full release.

A new food safety law may be coming to China. China Daily explains:

The draft food safety law submitted to China’s top legislature for first review Wednesday proposes the establishment of a State-level food safety risk evaluation committee…

The draft law, to replace the existing Food Hygiene Law, also proposes a labeling system making food producers responsible for statements about ingredients, additives, expiration dates and functions on user manuals and packages. A recall system and a food safety information release system are also proposed.

In addition, the draft law seeks to impose strict examinations on food imports and exports…

“We expect the next government, to be in power next March, to make some concrete changes in reforming the system.”

Click on the above link for the full article.