From Health Canada

On February 23, 2011, Health Canada issued a recall for various cleaning products by Nature’s Ultimate. All sizes of the following products have been recalled:

• Concentrated Orange Cleaner
• Concentrated Cleaner
• Laundry Stain Remover
• Pet Stain and  Odor Remover
• NU Solvent
• NU Stainless
• NU Wrench

Health Canada has determined that the products pose aspiration hazards and do not meet the labelling and child-resistant closure requirements for consumer chemical products under Canadian law.

Follow the links for further information.

If you 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

From Health Canada

On February 23, 2011, Health Canada issued a recall for various sizes of Orange aPeel Citrus Concentrate Organic Cleaners.

• Multipurpose Cleaner – 60mL, 237mL, and 473mL
• Pet Product – 237mL, 473mL, and 2L

Health Canada has determined that the recalled products pose aspiration hazards and do not meet the labelling and child-resistant closure requirements for consumer chemical products under Canadian law.

Follow the links for further information.

If you 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

From : ECHA

Six substances of very high concern will be banned within the next three to five years unless an authorisation has been granted to individual companies for their use. These substances are carcinogenic, toxic for reproduction or persist in the environment and accumulate in living organisms. Operators wishing to sell or use these substances will need to demonstrate that the required safety measures have been taken to adequately control the risks, or that the benefits for the economy and society outweigh the risks. Where feasible alternative substances or techniques exist, a timetable for substitution will also have to be submitted.

Six substances of very high concern have today been moved from the candidate list to the authorisation list, known as Annex XIV, under the EU’s REACH regulation. Substances in Annex XIV cannot be placed on the market or used unless authorisation has been granted for a specific use.

The following 6 chemicals are the first entrants in the Annex XIV: 5-ter-butyl-2,4,6-trinito-m-xylene (musk xylene), 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane (MDA), hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD), bis(2-ethylexyl) phthalate (DEHP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP).

For more information on this regulation, click the above link.

From: Health Canada

Mandatory Reporting of adverse events, dangerous defects and/or known recalls involving consumer products is an important new component of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA). This past year, in order to ensure that industry and consumers had a say in these new provisions, Health Canada solicited comments from interested Canadians.

Many opinions were expressed, but all respondents support the need to modernize Canada’s consumer product safety regime and legislation. All agree that expeditious reporting to Health Canada of health and safety risks involving consumer products should be mandatory for all parties in the distribution chain, but should also avoid significant and unnecessary administrative burdens where possible.

Many respondents voice concern that a reporting structure based on “Awareness of an Incident” could increase the rate of unnecessary reporting vs. “Evaluative Reporting”. The later approach, already used elsewhere, would maintain many of the well-developed processes and procedures that are currently in place for identifying legitimate health and safety concerns involving consumer products.

Click on the above link to read more on common concerns, individual feedback and differing views of the Mandatory Reporting.

From EPA

The EPA announced its decision to move forward with the development of a regulation for perchlorate to protect Americans from any potential health impacts, while also continuing to take steps to ensure the quality of the water they drink.

Perchlorate is both a naturally occurring and man-made chemical, and scientific research indicates that it may impact the normal function of the thyroid, which produces important developmental hormones. Thyroid hormones are critical to the normal development and growth of fetuses, infants and children.

In a separate action, the agency is also moving towards establishing a drinking water standard to address a group of up to 16 toxic chemicals that may pose risks to human health. As part of the Drinking Water Strategy laid out by Administrator Jackson in 2010, EPA committed to addressing contaminants as a group rather than one at a time so that enhancement of drinking water protection can be achieved cost effectively.

Follow the links for more information.

From Health Canada

On February 1, 2011,  Health Canada issued a recall on wood care products by HG Specialties Inc.

• Vinyl Adhesive (ERD 25): is available in a white cylindrical metallic can and weighs 237 mL.
• Vinyl Adhesive (ERD 100): is available in a white cylindrical metallic can and weighs 946 mL.

The recalled products do not meet labelling requirements for consumer chemical products under Canadian law.  This lack of labelling information, including appropriate warnings, may lead to serious injury or property damage.

The recalled products were sold from January 2010 to October 2010. Follow the links for more information.

If you 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

From CPSC

Starting on December 31, 2011, manufacturers and importers of children’s products that are subject to the lead content limit must have the appropriate certificates that indicate that their products have been tested by a CPSC-approved third party laboratory, in order for their products to be sold in the United States.

Despite the stay of enforcement on testing and certification, manufacturers, importers and retailers of children’s products must continue to comply with the federal restrictions for total lead content. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA) requires that all children’s products have no more than 300 parts per million (ppm) of lead content.

The stay of enforcement does not apply to the 90 ppm limit on lead in paint and surface coatings or to the current 300 ppm limit on lead content in metal components of children’s jewelry.

Follow the links for more information.

From Europa

The European Commission is asking the Czech Republic to update its chemicals legislation by adding acrolein to the list of active substances covered by their legislation in order to meet European requirements. Despite an earlier warning from the Commission, the Czech Republic has not yet added acrolein to its list of active substances which could possibly be used in biocidal products.

Acrolein is a substance used in slimicides, which in turn are a type of biocide.  Biocides can pose risks to human health, so the EU has a strict framework of rules to govern the placing on the market of biocidal products, ensuring a high level of protection for humans, animals and the environment.

For more information, follow the links.

From Sustainable Business.com

US legislators in 30 states across the country and the District of Columbia announced legislation aimed at protecting people from harmful chemicals.

Increasing rates of chronic diseases linked to toxic chemical exposure, including cancer, asthma, and infertility, has created urgency in state capitols to enact policies to get harmful chemicals off the market, the Coalition said.

Despite overwhelming public support for stronger laws on toxic chemicals, Congress has heeded the aggressive opposition of chemical industry lobbyists rather than the support of the American electorate and failed to pass Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform legislation three times in the last six years.

For more information, follow the links.