From the Green Party Of Canada:

The Green Party has examined the issues around C-6 (Canada Consumer Product Safety Act) and urges the Senate to pass the Bill so that the safety of Canadians can be better protected. The Green Party supports extending to Health Canada inspectors the same powers of inspection and seizure already in effect under the Explosives Act, the Fish Inspection and Fisheries Acts, and the Meat Inspection Act. “This act does create new powers for inspectors to enter or cross private property in order to carry out inspections,” Green Party leader Elizabeth May noted, “so we would like to see proper monitoring and controls for the use of these powers.” Contrary to some claims, the bill does NOT allow inspectors to enter private homes without a warrant.

“This bill has been written specifically to exclude foods and natural health products, so concerns that it will negatively impact those areas are misplaced,” May stated. “The Green Party continues to support the ability of individuals to access natural health products, and of local farmers to produce using safe, organic methods rather than industrial agriculture,” she concluded.

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Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CCCR compliance, WHMIS MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring

As the lead agency for the implementation of Proposition 65, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) within the California Environmental Protection Agency intends to list the chemicals, Carbaryl (CAS No. 63-25-2) and Spirodiclofen (CAS No. 148477-71-8) as known to the State to cause cancer, pursuant to this administrative mechanism.

Relevant information related to the possible listing of Carbaryl and Spirodiclofen was requested in a notice published in the California Regulatory Notice Register on December 5, 2008 (Register 2008, No. 49-Z). OEHHA received and responded to public comments.

OEHHA has determined that Carbaryl meets the regulatory criteria for listing based on the findings of the U.S. EPA (U.S. EPA, 2002; 2007a; 2007b) and Spirodiclofen meets the criteria for listing based on the findings of the U.S. EPA (U.S. EPA, 2004). OEHHA is therefore issuing this notice of intent to list Carbaryl and Spirodiclofen under Proposition 65.

For more information or detail on the basis of the listings visit: http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/CRNR_notices/admin_listing/intent_to_list/noilpkg34_112509.html

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: CPSC compliance, OSHA MSDS authoring, MSDS authoring

From the United States Environmental Protection Agency:

President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as part of his first state visit, jointly launched a new U.S.-India Green Partnership aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two nations on a wide range of environment and climate initiatives.

Among these initiatives is the creation of an Indian National Environmental Protection Authority (NEPA), intended to enhance the authority of Indian environmental agencies, improve public information and transparency, demonstrate progress in environmental compliance and enforcement, and ultimately result in improved environmental quality for all Indian citizens.

The development of the Indian NEPA includes the establishment of a civil judiciary authority, the creation of a National Green Tribunal, and more general improvements in India’s environmental data collection and analysis.

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From Prachatai:

Following the incident surrounding the plant disease “natural disaster” in Kudchum district, Yasothon province, the AAN has compiled further research to raise public awareness about the impacts of carbofuran (Furadan) on the environment and human health. The Alternative Agriculture Network – Esan (AAN) is a network of more than 3,000 small-scale farmers, working to develop sustainable agricultural techniques, support local food systems and community livelihoods. We also monitor agriculture and trade policies at both the domestic and international levels. The continued promotion of chemical fertilizer and pesticide imports is of major concern to our network, given the Thai government’s spoken commitment to supporting small-scale farmers and organic agriculture.

Canada and the EU have banned carbofuran since 2008. The United States Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) recently banned its use, finding that “Exposure to the pesticide carbofuran resulting from existing legal uses is unsafe—unsafe for the general population, and particularly unsafe for infants and children.” Carbofuran commonly causes burns on the skin and eyes of farmers, but there is a range of serious impacts on farmer health. Long-term effects may include permanent damage to both the nervous and reproductive systems.

…It is our understanding that carbofuran is on the government’s “Dangerous Chemicals Watch List.” This dangerous agrochemical should be banned in Thailand and Thailand must work to be a leader in regional food safety. Ending the use of carbofuran will positively address the current public health crisis affecting farmers and ecological systems throughout Thailand.

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Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: REACH compliance, EU SDS authoring, SDS authoring

From the Hurriyet Daily News:

As Turkey braces for potential problems in the export of some chemical substances to the European Union, a Helsinki forum will focus on chemicals issues this coming May.

The Helsinki Chemicals Forum, or HCF, will be held on May 20 and 21 next year and will discuss whether REACH, the European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use, can become a global model. The forum will be held partly under the auspices of the European Chemicals Agency, or ECHA, which is based in the city.

[Hannu Vornamo, secretary-general of HCF] said the forum is necessary to enforce REACH legislation across Europe in a unified way because it would be difficult to force national authorities to implement the legislation otherwise.

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Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: REACH compliance, EU SDS authoring, SDS authoring

From the Star-Telegram:

State environmental regulators want natural gas companies to voluntarily emit less air pollution after tests showed high levels of a cancer-causing chemical near wells in the Barnett Shale gas field. On Nov. 13, regulators from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Barnett’s eight biggest operators discussed ways to cut benzene emissions, said Michael Honeycutt, chief of the commission’s toxicology section.

Air samples showed significant levels of benzene in several locations. One sample taken downwind from a tank seven miles west of DISH showed a level of 1,000 parts per billion, which is more than five times the commission’s short-term exposure limit of 180 parts per billion.

Right now, most gas sites are operating under permits that don’t set a level for benzene emissions. Honeycutt said the operators are being allowed to address the problem under a “find and fix” program — if they voluntarily reduce the emissions, they can avoid a penalty. The commission follows up by revising the permit to set a lower standard for benzene emissions. It could take the commission three to five years to write a rule limiting the amount of benzene released from natural gas sites, Honeycutt told the League of Neighborhoods meeting.

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From The Mercury:

Testing shows that efforts by two area narrow tube factories to reduce or eliminate the amount of a potentially carcinogenic chemical they emit into the air has resulted in lower levels of that chemical, thus reducing the area’s cancer risk, state officials said.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, which has been sampling and analyzing the area’s air since 2004, issued the report…At the time, two local plants, Superior Tube on Germantown Pike in Lower Providence and Accellent on Seventh Avenue in Trappe, both used significant amounts of TCE as a de-greaser in their industrial processes. The emissions from both plants were within the limits set by the permits issued to them by the DEP.

Part of a family of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds, TCE is recognized by California as a known carcinogen, while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies it only as a suspected carcinogen. TCE also falls into a category of pollutants officially dubbed hazardous air pollutants.

In February of 2008, Superior announced it would abandon TCE completely in favor of an alternative chemical, n-propyl bromide, which is also a volatile organic compound but is not classified as a hazardous air pollutant.

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From the Official Wire:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a call Thursday for the 15th annual Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award nominations. The EPA said the awards recognize innovative chemical technologies that incorporate green chemistry into the design, manufacture and use of chemicals that have broad applications in industry.

“Nominated technologies should reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances from a chemical product or process,” the agency said in a statement. “Any individual, group or non-governmental organization, both non-profit and for-profit, including academia and industry, may nominate a green chemistry technology for the awards. Self-nominations are welcome.”

Nominations must be submitted no later than Dec. 31 to be eligible for the 2010 awards, which will be presented in June.

Find the full details at http://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry/pubs/pgcc/howto.html

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From the Office of Congressman Steve Israel:

On Wednesday, Rep. Steve Israel (D – N.Y.) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced that the 2.1 million-member SEIU endorsed the Household Product Labeling Act (H.R.3057). Rep. Israel’s legislation requires manufacturers of basic household cleaning products – like tile cleaner and dish soap – to list the product ingredients on the product or its packaging.

…Current federal law does not require companies to list ingredients for household products including cleaning agents, pesticides, epoxy, paint and stains. Only ingredients that pose an immediate threat must be included on the label. Rep. Israel’s bill requires a full ingredient list on the product or its packaging.

Rep. Israel’s bill is endorsed by: Audubon Society, Environmental Working Group, Cancer Prevention Coalition, Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Healthy Child Healthy World, Toxics Information Project, OMB Watch, Public Citizen, Oregon Toxics Alliance, Oregon Center for Environmental Health, Method, SEIU, Seventh Generation, Teens Turning Green, Maid Brigade, Breast Cancer Action and Association of Reproductive Health Professionals.

Click on the links for more information.

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From gas2.0 biofuels, oil, a revolution:

Move over CO2—you’ve been ousted, along with methane, as the biggest offenders of global climate change. According to a new a study by Purdue University and NASA, the major chemicals most frequently cited as leading to climate change, namely carbon dioxide and methane, are actually outclassed in their warming potential by compounds receiving less attention…

…The majority of the chemicals that cause heat to be trapped are used by industries worldwide. Based on the ability to trap radiation in the atmospheric window, chemicals such as sulfur and nitrogen flourides, perfluorocarbons (PFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) stand out. Chemicals like CO2, while harmful, don’t close the atmospheric window as quickly as these other compounds making them more dangerous.

So CO2 and methane are not in fact the worst chemicals, but fluorine-containing compounds are actually the worst. In addition, according to [NASA scientist Timothy Lee], “The compounds also persist longer than carbon dioxide and other major global warming agents. The concern is that, even if emitted into the atmosphere in lower quantities, the chemicals might have a powerful cumulative effect over time. Some of these chemicals don’t break down for thousands of years.”

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