Five new monographs have appeared in July. From Drugs and Health Products:

• Updated Monograph – Echinacea pallida
• Updated Monograph – Echinacea purpurea
• Updated Monograph – MSM
• Updated Monograph – Evening Primrose Oil
• Updated Monograph – Chondroitin Sulfate

An important link for those interested in REACH – HPV-LPV Chemicals Information System:

This HPV-LPV Chemicals Information System provides you with information on the HPVCs (High Production Volume Chemicals) and the LPVCs (Low Production Volume Chemicals), including EU Producers/Importers lists. The content has been extracted from the IUCLID (International Uniform Chemical Information Data Base), where data have been reported by Industry.

Please select a range of CAS# or EINECS# by scrolling the above menus, each range (except the last one which contains the remaining) contains a sorted list of 300 CAS or EINECS numbers.

The current HPVCs list contains 2 782 substances and the LPVCs list contains 7 832 substances.

Click on the above link for more information.

An interesting article from IndustryWeek. Here are a few key excerpts:

With the pre-registration period for REACH now underway (June 1), all chemicals of one ton or more in volume that are manufactured in, or imported into, the EU each year, must be tested for their effect on health and safety and registered with a new central European authority-the European Chemicals Agency-located in Helsinki, Finland. Pre-registration must take place before December 2008…

With REACH, some substances will be phased out of production or become uneconomical because the cost of registering a substance is significant. Registration for a single substance produced at more than 1,000 tons per annum could cost up to EUR 2 million (roughly $3.13 million).

Under REACH, new environmentally-friendly substances will become commercially more attractive. The companies that develop REACH-compliant products will naturally establish competitive advantage…

REACH is not the only legislation that promises to improve the chemical industry. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed a new initiative called the Chemical Assessment and Management Program (ChAMP). Born out of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America Leaders’ Summit last year, ChAMP promises to improve chemical safety and the environmental impact of chemicals by gauging risk levels in roughly 9,000 chemicals made in volumes of 25,000 pounds or greater.

Click on the above link for the full article.

We have been telling everyone that would listen that we expected to see a rise in Health Canada actions against non-compliant products. Our predictions appear to have been correct – in July there have already been 3 product recalls of consumer chemical products due to incorrect hazard labelling and packaging. In the 6 prior months of 2008, there were exactly 2. The full list of product recalls is available here. The product types were as follows:

• July 2008 – Spray on Foundation – Label lacked necessary hazard symbols and text
• July 2008 – 6 Liquid Dish Soaps – Labels lacked necessary warning symbols and text
• July 2008 – Aerosol Hair Product – Label lacked necessary warning label
• May 2008 – 7 Home Fragrances – Label lacked necessary warning label
• April 2008 – Fabric Cleaner – Container lacked child safety cap

If you are have any doubts about the compliancy of your chemical products, please do not hesitate to contact us. More information about our label review services can be found here:

• Canadian Consumer Label Review
• Canadian Industrial Label Review
• Canadian Cosmetic Product Label Review

We can be contacted at:

Nexreg Toll Free: 1-866-361-3032
E-mail:info@nexreg.com

We were browsing through Canada’s Consumer Products Recall list and were struck by the diversity of products being recalled due to excessive lead content.  By our count, 27 products have been recalled in 2008:

• July 2008: Craft kits
• July 2008: Chalk facial mask
• July 2008: Bracelets, Necklaces and Phone Charms
• July 2008: Necklaces and Shoe Charms
• June 2008: School Magnets
• June 2008: Pyjama Sets
• May 2008: Sleeping Bags
• May 2008: Toy wand
• May 2008: Shaker Instrument
• May 2008: Jewellery and Purses
• May 2008: Children’s Storage Bins
• May 2008: Lapel Pins
• April 2008: Fake Teeth
• April 2008: Toy Puzzle
• April 2008: Writing Pens
• April 2008: Metal water bottles
• April 2008: Locks
• March 2008: Bicycles
• March 2008: Wire Bound Journals
• March 2008: Patio Sets
• March 2008: Metal Jewellery
• February 2008: Bracelet Sets
• February 2008: Push-Pin Badges
• February 2008: Sketchbooks
• February 2008: Shoes and Sunglasses
• January 2008: Infant Sleeper and Bootie Sets
• January 2008: Lamps

A proposed rule from the EPA that covers “Consumer and Commercial Products: Control Techniques Guidelines in Lieu of Regulations for Miscellaneous Metal Products Coatings, Plastic Parts Coatings, Auto and Light-Duty Truck Assembly Coatings, Fiberglass Boat Manufacturing Materials, and Miscellaneous Industrial Adhesives”:

Pursuant to section 183(e)(3)(C) of the Clean Air Act, EPA proposes to determine that control techniques guidelines will be substantially as effective as national regulations in reducing emissions of volatile organic compounds in ozone national ambient air quality standard nonattainment areas from the following five product categories: Miscellaneous metal products coatings, plastic parts coatings, auto and light-duty truck assembly coatings, fiberglass boat manufacturing materials, and miscellaneous industrial adhesives. Based on this determination, we may issue control techniques guidelines in lieu of national regulations covering these product categories. We have prepared draft control techniques guidelines for the control of volatile organic compound emissions from each of the product categories covered by this proposed determination. Once finalized, these control techniques guidelines will provide guidance to the States concerning EPA’s recommendations for reasonably available control technology-level controls for these product categories. We further propose to take final action to list the five Group IV consumer and commercial product categories addressed in this notice pursuant to Clean Air Act section 183(e).

DATES: Comments: Written comments on this proposed action must be received by August 13, 2008, unless a public hearing is requested by July 24, 2008.

For more information, click on the above link.

A recent article on ISHN discusses the benefits of outsourcing some aspects of your company’s chemical compliance:

Outsourcing is a cost-effective solution for bolstering EHS compliance practices in your company’s chemical management operations. With outsourcing, unbiased EHS experts assist your staff to identify the most effective areas to apply internal resources, and those that lend themselves to be outsourced to an expert third party. A service provider can tailor a solution specific to a company’s EHS, chemical information and compliance needs, and devise a plan that not only keeps the company out of legal trouble, but also aims for, and achieves, excellence.

The first step: determine where your company stands in regards to compliance and safety. Most companies working with a good outsourced provider conduct an initial compliance assessment to ascertain where EHS efforts succeed and where they need reinforcement. After this assessment, several programs might be put in place to better secure worker safety and come into alignment with compliance standards.

Outsourcing some of the more mundane tasks associated with compliance — such as obtaining and managing Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), regulatory reporting, chemical classification, training or waste management — can free up the internal EHS staff, enabling these professionals to focus on the more strategic tasks associated with implementing an outstanding EHS program.

In Nexreg’s experience companies can experience up to a 60% cost-saving and achieve quicker turn-around times on compliance projects through outsourcing.

To speak to a Nexreg representative about how outsourcing portions of your chemical product compliance can save a great deal of time or money, please call or e-mail Nexreg at:

Nexreg Toll Free: 1-866-361-3032
E-mail:info@nexreg.com

From the CBC:

The federal government said Tuesday its new Product of Canada regulations will roll out for goods produced after Dec. 31…

Prime Minister Stephen Harper in May announced new guidelines regulating the use of the Product of Canada label. Under current Canadian law, if 51 per cent of the production costs were incurred in Canada and the last substantial transformation of the product occurred in Canada, it is legal to use those labels.

The revised guidelines require that all major ingredients and labour used to make the product come from Canada.

Harper said under the new guidelines, if a product is to be marketed as made in Canada, the product must be manufactured or processed in Canada.

Products may contain non-Canadian contents but must indicate it contains imported ingredients or materials.

Click on the above link for more information.

Another in a series of ‘How Does REACH impact your business’ articles. Today’s from The Engineer:

Who will be affected by the rules?

1) Companies that make their own chemicals or supply them to others if they manufacture one tonne or more of any chemical a year.

2) Businesses importing one tonne or more of chemicals into Europe a year — including those in mixtures such as paints and cleaning agents and products such as cars and batteries.

3) Those using substances to keep their machinery operating and premises clean; formulators of paints, glues, detergents, plastics or rubbers; users of oils, lubricants and antifoams; car repair shops and cleaners and manufacturers of electronic components, computers and toys…

To pre-register, a company will need to meet certain criteria. Generally, chemicals needs to be on the ‘existing substances’ list of the European inventory of existing chemical substances (EINECS), which means it must also have been placed on the European market before 1981. Specific guidance on this can be found on the REACH website.

Click on the above link for more information.

From the Globe and Mail:

Environment Canada says a flame retardant known as deca is so dangerous that it is banning companies from manufacturing the compound, but it will continue to allow the chemical to be freely imported and used in such consumer products as television sets and car upholstery.

The unusual split decision – to allow a material into Canada but ban it from being made here – was published in regulations earlier this week, and reflects the intense pressure on Ottawa over the controversial chemical.

Although deca is not actually made in Canada, the chemical’s foreign producers lobbied the government against the manufacturing ban – the first in the world – because the action might influence other governments. Car companies in Canada, meanwhile, lobbied to have continued access to deca to help them meet North American fire-safety standards for automobile interiors.

Deca is part of a family of chemicals known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, that are raising alarm among biologists because amounts are rising rapidly in wildlife.

Click on the above link for more information.