A notice from the EPA on an upcoming public meeting:

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, EPA gives notice of a public meeting of the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC) Work Group on Comparative Safety Statements or Logos for Pesticide Product Labeling on September 10, 2008…

This action is directed to the public in general, and may be of particular interest to persons who work in agricultural settings or persons who are concerned about implementation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA); the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA); and the amendments to both of these major pesticide laws by the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996…

The objective of the PPDC Work Group on Comparative Safety Statements or Logos for Pesticide Product Labeling is to address the interest being expressed by the public for possible development of Agency or third party endorsements/statements or logos on labels regarding comparative product safety. The work group will make recommendations to the full PPDC as to whether the government should pursue a policy and regulatory change in order to develop or allow these types of statements or logos…

Click on the above link for more information.

From the LA Times:

AB 1879 from Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) started out like any number of other bills targeting individual chemicals known to cause such problems as birth defects, cancer and lung disorders. But this week, Feuer and the bill’s coauthors reached a deal with the California Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Toxic Substances Control to amend the bill so that it takes a more comprehensive approach — and lays the framework for the governor’s Green Chemistry scheme.

California environmental regulators have long focused on emissions from industrial facilities and vehicles. Feuer’s bill would for the first time give them the power to regulate chemicals in consumer products. That doesn’t necessarily mean banning such chemicals, though the state would have that option if there were clear evidence of health risks; it might mean simply requiring better product labeling or restricting the use of some substances. The bill also would set up an Internet database containing current information and research on toxic chemicals, create an advisory panel of scientists to guide chemicals policy and establish regulations for analyzing greener alternatives.

Click on the above link for more information or here for the text of AB 1879.

From Canada’s Natural Health Products Directorate – four monographs:

• New Monograph – Creatine Monohydrate
• Updated Monograph – Iron
• Updated Monograph – Glucosamine
• Information Update on the Product Resolve

Click on the links for more information.

The slides for the public meeting RE: California’s Proposed Amendments to the Consumer Products Regulation are available here (PDF). They contain a useful summary of California’s proposed actions on VOCs.

From The Government of Canada:

On August 23, 2008, 17 Notices relating to the release of draft screening assessments for the 19 substances in Batch 3 of the Challenge were published in the Canada Gazette Part I, Vol. 142 No. 34 and the draft screening assessments were released on this web site (see below).

There is a 60-day public comment period associated with these publications. Public comments may be submitted (from August 23, 2008 to October 22, 2008) on (a) the draft screening assessments and (b) the proposal to pursue one of the measures as specified under subsection 77(2) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999). Details on how to submit public comments can be found within the applicable Canada Gazette Notices for each substance in the tables below. Please note that the public comment periods will not be extended. Given the Government’s commitment to finalizing the screening assessments by the deadlines specified below, any information received after the end of the public comment period may not be taken into consideration in the final assessment report.

A. Substances identified during categorization as persistent, bioaccumulative, and inherently toxic to non-human organisms and believed to be in commercial use in Canada.

• CAS No. 81-68-5
• CAS No. 1594-08-7
• CAS No. 2425-85-6
• CAS No. 2814-77-9
• CAS No. 3468-63-1
• CAS No. 4395-65-7
• CAS No. 6410-09-0
• CAS No. 6410-13-5
• CAS No. 6410-41-9
• CAS No. 6471-01-8
• CAS No. 20241-76-3
• CAS No. 25155-25-3
• CAS No. 60352-98-9
• CAS No. 72243-90-4
• CAS No. 74336-60-0

B. Substances identified during categorization as a high hazard to humans and as having a high likelihood of exposure to individuals in Canada

• CAS No. 110-49-6
• CAS No. 111-15-9
• CAS No. 111-77-3
• CAS No. 1589-47-5

Click on the links for more information.

The ECHA is putting on a REACH-related event. Here are the details, from the ECHA:

This first stakeholders day of ECHA will be an opportunity to:

• be informed about the latest developments in ECHA´s activities and the forthcoming challenges in the implementation of REACH,
• share their views on REACH implementation and expectations regarding their involvement in ECHAs activities,
• ask questions and get answers on issues of interest from the ECHA management.

The target audiences are REACH multipliers:

• playing a key role in the implementation of the regulation, especially in raising awareness and informing or assisting individual companies regarding REACH, e.g. industry associations or public bodies,
• having a direct interest in the implementation of REACH and the involvement in ECHA´s activities (non-governmental organisations, trade unions, representatives of third countries etc.).

Potential participants need to register via the online registration form below. The closing date is 05 September 2008.

After examination by ECHA of the registrations, each registrant will receive, by 12 September 2008 at the latest, an email confirming that he/she can participate in the event, or information that his/her registration has been declined.

For more information, click on the above link.

From PharmTech.com:

The Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA) is expressing trade concerns with the European Union’s REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals) regulation, a new European Union policy on chemicals and their safe use…

REACH requires EU-based manufacturers and EU-based importers doing business, directly or indirectly in Europe, to register chemicals and their uses with the newly created European Chemicals Agency. Under REACH, companies will eventually be required to provide toxicity data for substances produced or imported into the EU in quantities above 1 metric ton per year. Companies will also be required to submit a comprehensive risk assessment, called a chemical safety report, covering the various uses of the materials they register. For approximately 1500–2000 chemical substances, companies will have to go through an authorization process to get permission to continue to use those substances…

One issue raised by SOCMA is in regards to provisions relating to the mandated use of a foreign-based “only representative” by a US-based company to comply with REACH. The “only representative” provision allows a manufacturer outside the European Union to appoint an EU-based company or individual to fulfill the registration obligations for products imported into the EU.

DeLisi commented on the high costs of having to use these representatives, their lack of availability and accountability, and the independence to which they are afforded to represent US businesses. Other concerns expressed about REACH were the disclosure of confidential business information, the potential to breach US antitrust laws, overall costs to companies to implement REACH, and doubts about the European Chemicals Agency’s ability to effectively administer REACH.

Click on the above link for the full article.Nexreg has more information on REACH at the following link:

• REACH Compliance Consulting

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

Nexreg Toll Free: 1-866-361-3032
Non-Toll Free: (519)488-5126 (London, ON, Canada)
E-mail:info@nexreg.com

From the Durango Herald:

DENVER – State regulators took the first step Tuesday to requiring energy companies to disclose the chemicals they use in drilling gas and oil wells…

The panel has spent all summer in hearings about the new rules, which are aimed at protecting public health and the environment. It took its first votes Tuesday, but the changes won’t be official until next month, when the commission is scheduled to wrap up its rule-making…

The rule would require companies to keep an inventory of all the chemicals they use for well drilling if the substances amount to at least 500 pounds. The identity of chemicals that are trade secrets would be released only to a select few state workers and to doctors treating a person injured by chemicals…

Gas companies had argued the new rule isn’t needed because existing federal law requires them to keep Materials Safety Data Sheets with information about the chemicals. Federal law also requires companies to help doctors during emergencies…

Commissioner Jim Martin, however, said the current system has holes that the state needs to fill.

“Sometimes the MSDS sheets include that information, and sometimes they don’t,” Martin said.

Click on the above link for the full article.

From the Air Resources Board – the public availibility of the modified text of the California Consumer Product Regulations. The modified text is available as a PDF here. The deadline for public comment is August 27, 2008. The Public Comments received are available here.

More on the CPSC Reform Act we discussed last week. From CTV News:

President George W. Bush on Thursday signed consumer-safety legislation that bans lead from children’s toys, imposing the toughest standard in the world.

The new law prohibits lead, beyond minute levels, in products for children 12 or younger. Lead paint was a major factor in the recall of 45 million toys and children’s items last year, many from China.

Both houses of Congress approved the bill by overwhelming margins two weeks ago.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates there are about 28,000 deaths each year linked to unsafe products, including toys, in the United States. More than 33 million people were injured last year by consumer products.

The bill also bans a chemical called phthalates that is widely used to make plastic products softer and more flexible.

And the legislation bolsters the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which took the brunt of criticism last year over the massive recalls and the government’s failure to monitor toy imports before they reach store shelves.

Click on the above link for the full story.