From the Environmental Working Group:

Washington, D.C. – The Maryland Senate [yesterday] unanimously voted to ban the toxic plastics chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles and sippy cups… Maryland will join Connecticut, Minnesota, Chicago, Albany County, Schenectady County and Suffolk County, New York, among the jurisdictions restricting BPA in plastic food containers for infants and young children.

Meanwhile, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering whether to restrict the use of BPA in canned food and other food packaging. The chemical is an integral ingredient of epoxy resin, used to coat the interiors of virtually all metal food cans manufactured in North America. The FDA, government and independent scientists and health advocates are particularly concerned about BPA leaching into canned infant formula, because of numerous studies that have linked the chemical to developmental abnormalities in fetal and infant test animals.

Click on the links for more information.

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

From The Dake Page:

This past week the Office of the Inspector General, which is part of the USEPA, released a report called “EPA Needs a Coordinated Plan to Oversee Its Toxic Substances Control Act Responsibilities.” The report concludes that “EPA does not have integrated procedures and measures in place to ensure that new chemicals entering commerce do not pose an unreasonable risk to human health and the environment.” They found limitations in three key processes – assessment, oversight, and transparency.

The OIG report recommended that EPA better coordinate risk assessment and oversight activities by establishing a management plan, establish criteria for selecting chemicals for low-level exposure and cumulative risk assessment, and development a management plan for TSCA enforcement…

The full report is available here: EPA Needs a Coordinated Plan to Oversee Its Toxic Substances Control Act Responsibilities

For additional information follow the link above.

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

Even though the year 2010 has just begun, Health Canada is not giving a break to companies whose products are in violation of Canadian labelling laws. Below are products which were found to be incompliant with Canadian labelling requirements:

• Feb, 2010: Cleaner and degreaser (lacking child-resistant cap)
• Feb. 2010: Cleaning solution (lacking proper labelling and child-resistant cap)
• Feb. 2010: Oil and Solvent and Degreaser (lacks proper symbols and warnings)
• Feb. 2010: Correction fluid (lacks proper symbol and warning for flammable products)
• Jan. 2010: Fuel de-icer (lacks child-resistant caps)

If you are having 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

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

On July 15, 2009, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) received a petition from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) asking that OEHHA initiate the process for listing bisphenol-A (BPA) as a reproductive toxicant under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 19861.

BPA appears to meet the criteria for listing as known to the State to cause reproductive toxicity under Proposition 65, based on findings of the National Toxicology Program’s Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (NTP-CERHR, 2008).

In 2008, the NTP-CERHR published a report on BPA (NTP-CERHR, 2008). This report concludes that the chemical causes developmental toxicity at high levels of exposure, and appears to satisfy the formal identification and sufficiency of evidence criteria in the Proposition 65 regulations.

OEHHA is requesting public comment concerning whether this chemical meets the criteria set forth in the Proposition 65 regulations for authoritative bodies listings. After reviewing all comments received, OEHHA will determine whether BPA meets the regulatory criteria for administrative listing. If listing proceeds, OEHHA will publish a Notice of Intent to List and provide an additional public comment period. In order to be considered, comments must be received by OEHHA by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13, 2010.

For more information or to submit a comment see the following link: Request for Relevant Information on a Chemical Being Considered for Listing by the Authoritative Bodies Mechanism: Bisphenol-A

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

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) intends to list the chemicals diclofop-methyl and epoxiconazole as known to the State to cause cancer under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. This action is being taken under the authoritative bodies listing mechanism.

OEHHA requested information relevant to the possible listing of diclofop-methyl and epoxiconazole in a notice published in the California Regulatory Notice Register on November 13, 2009 (Register 2009, No. 46 Z). OEHHA received no public comments.

Diclofop-methyl and epoxiconazole each meet the criteria for listing as known to the State to cause cancer under Proposition 65, based on findings of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA 2000; U.S. EPA, 2001).

OEHHA is committed to public participation in its implementation of Proposition 65. OEHHA wants to ensure that its regulatory decisions are based on a thorough consideration of all relevant information. OEHHA is requesting comments as to whether these two chemicals meet the criteria set forth in the Proposition 65 regulations for authoritative bodies listings. In order to be considered, comments must be received by OEHHA by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 8, 2010.

Additional information is available here: Notice of Intent to List Diclofop-Methyl and Epoxiconazole

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

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) intends to list the chemicals bromochloroacetic acid and cumene as known to the State to cause cancer under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. This action is being taken under the authoritative bodies mechanism.

OEHHA requested information relevant to the possible listing of bromochloroacetic acid and cumene in a notice published in the California Regulatory Notice Registry on October 16, 2009 (Register 2009, No. 42-Z). OEHHA received no public comments.

Bromochloroacetic acid and cumene each meet the criteria for listing as known to the State to cause cancer under Proposition 65, based on findings of the National Toxicology Program (NTP, 2009a; NTP, 2009b).

OEHHA is committed to public participation in its implementation of Proposition 65. OEHHA wants to ensure that its regulatory decisions are based on a thorough consideration of all relevant information. OEHHA is requesting comments as to whether these two chemicals meet the criteria set forth in the Proposition 65 regulations for authoritative bodies listings. In order to be considered, the OEHHA must receive comments by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 8, 2010.

More information is available here: Notice of Intent to List Bromochloroacetic Acid and Cumene

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

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) within the California Environmental Protection Agency is adding carbaryl (CAS No. 63-25-2) to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer for purposes of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Proposition 65).  The listing of carbaryl is effective February 5, 2010.

For more information on reasoning behind the Prop 65 listing see the following: Carbaryl (CAS No.63-25-2) Listed As Known to the State to Cause Cancer

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

From the CCOHS:

As Nexreg posted back in September 09, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) and Health Canada’s National Office of WHMIS has been offering WHMIS after GHS e-courses. These free online courses were updated in January 2010 to reflect these key changes:

1. The GHS Purple Book updates:

- A new environmental hazard class is added – “Hazardous to the ozone layer”.

- The pictogram for this new class is indicated.

- The web link to the current Purple Book – the 3rd Edition, 2009 is provided.

2. Health Canada’s National Office of WHMIS has updated the timeline statement to read:

“Consultations through the National WHMIS Office with stakeholder associations are essentially complete. An interim policy has been established to permit use of GHS-formatted safety data sheets in Canada. Additional interim policies may be developed. Regulatory proposals to update WHMIS are anticipated in 2010.”

The free online courses are available here:

WHMIS after GHS: An Introduction

WHMIS after GHS: How Suppliers Can Prepare 

From the Bureau Veritas Group:

The Washington Department of Ecology (WA DOE) has released a draft reporting list of 66 chemicals as part of the pilot rule-making process related to the previously enacted Children’s Product Safety Act. Under this Act, the WA DOE is responsible for creating a list of high priority chemicals. The pilot approach calls for the agency to have several manufacturers test the draft rule.

Participating manufacturers are expected to provide feedback and the rule is anticipated to be finalized in spring of this year. Once the finalized chemical list is published, manufacturers of children’s product will be required to report to the WA DOE if any of the listed chemicals are present in their products.

Washington State has set up a pilot program to test the rule before it becomes finalized. Manufacturers will be able to field-test the process and submit comments before enforcement begins. Comments will be collected and evaluated and the next steps will be assessed based on this evaluation.

The expected comments should include information such as:
• Which chemicals should be added or removed from the draft list
• Suggestions on how to improve the chemical selection process
• Information on the costs of complying with the law
• Information on time it takes to reformulate products
• Any data on specific chemicals used in children’s products or raw materials used in the industry

This pilot program is expected to last 3-4 months. It will begin February 1, 2010 and is expected to run through mid-April. After final written reports and comments are collected from participants, they will be evaluated and a final written project report will be released. The next steps and adjustments in the pilot program will be evaluated after this release.

For more information on the pilot program or to download the draft chemical please click on the above link.

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

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) intends to list the chemicals 1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethylene (DDE) and nitrobenzene as known to the State to cause reproductive toxicity under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. This action is being taken under the authoritative bodies listing mechanism.

OEHHA requested relevant information related to the possible listing of DDE and nitrobenzene in a notice published in the California Regulatory Notice Register on October 30, 2009 (Register 2009, No. 44 Z). OEHHA received no public comments.

OEHHA is committed to public participation in its implementation of Proposition 65. OEHHA wants to ensure that its regulatory decisions are based on a thorough consideration of all relevant information. OEHHA is requesting comments as to whether these two chemicals meet the criteria set forth in the Proposition 65 regulations for authoritative bodies listings. In order to be considered, comments must be received by OEHHA by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 1, 2010.

For more information or to submit a comment to the OEHHA please see the following: Notice of Intent to List DDE and Nitrobenzene

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