From The Huffington Post :

On August 10, 2011 Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wrote an article in the Huffington Post about the need to modernize the TSCA. Below is an excerpt from the article:

Back in 1976, Congress passed the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), a law that was meant to give the EPA the tools to research and regulate chemicals found in everyday products from shampoos, to sippy cups, to shower curtains. Nearly 40 years later only 5 chemicals have been successfully regulated.

I have read too many studies and reports that have found toxic chemicals in everyday products. Since TSCA became law, we have seen an unacceptable rise in cases of childhood cancers, learning disabilities, birth defects, asthma, allergies, autism and infertility. Our children are being exposed to these toxic chemicals before they are even born. Umbilical cord blood samples show exposure to over 200 chemicals ranging from BPA, which is found in plastic bottles, flame retardants, which are used in TV’s and furniture, and PCB’s, a known-carcinogen that remains in our soil and water.

It is clear that TSCA has failed, and we need to fix it.

For the full article, visit the above link.

From Health Canada:

On August 30, 2011 Health Canada issued a recall involving U-POL Brand Automotive Repair and Refinish products. Approximately 9,555 of the recalled products were sold in Canada. The recalled products were sold from 2005 to 2011 and were manufactured in United Kingdom.

Health Canada has established that these products do not meet the mandatory warning labelling requirements, as required under Canadian law. The products lack the symbols and warnings required for consumer chemicals. This lack of labelling information, including appropriate warnings, may lead to serious injury.

Neither U-POL nor Health Canada has received reports of incidents or injuries related to the use of these products.

You can find product codes and more information at the link above.

If you have any doubts about the compliancy of your chemical products, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We can be contacted at:
Nexreg Toll Free: 1-866-361-3032
E-mail:info@nexreg.com

From Fast Company and EPA:

The EPA announced last month that it plans to start cracking down on the use of glymes, which are often used as solvents and found in brake fluid, paints, lithium batteries, inkjet cartridges, and paint and carpet cleaners. The chemicals are, according to one company that manufactures them, “amongst the strongest solvents available anywhere.”

Under the EPA’s new proposed rule, any company that plans to manufacture, import, or process glymes for use in a consumer product (and in some cases, any use at all) has to notify the agency, which will evaluate the situation and potentially eliminate or limit the use of the dreaded glymes.

So why should we be worried about glymes? Scientific American explains that two types of glymes (monoglyme and diglyme) have triggered developmental and reproductive damage in studies performed on rodents. Another type of glyme (ethylglyme) exhibited the potential for gene mutation in addition to developmental toxicity. And you’re already at risk for exposure.

Diglyme and ethylglyme can be found in drinking water, and humans are exposed to monoglyme when handling printed paper, polishing clothes, and breathing in emissions from factories, vehicle exhaust, and paint cans. The other 11 glymes have not been shown to cause adverse health effects, but the EPA still plans to restrict them because they have a similar chemical structure compared to the dangerous glymes.

The EU already regulates products that contain diglyme and monoglyme with labels that say “may cause harm to the unborn child,” or “may impair fertility.” The EPA, on the hand, doesn’t have plans for any labeling–and the glymes regulations still have to go through a final review. But if the rules pass, the phrase “glymes-free” may become a popular label.

For more information on glymes, click the links above.

From EPA:

In a settlement valued at more than $1.7 million, Clean Harbors of Braintree, Inc. has agreed to pay a significant penalty and perform additional projects, to settle a complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of EPA, regarding numerous violations of hazardous waste management and emergency planning laws at the company’s Braintree, Mass. facility.

Under the settlement, Clean Harbors will pay a $650,000 penalty  and will spend $1,062,500 on a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) consisting of planting approximately 1400 trees in low-income and historically-disadvantaged environmental justice areas in the City of Boston. It is expected that Clean Harbors will work with the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department to implement the project over a two-year period.

Clean Harbors also will comply with an enhanced waste analysis plan that goes beyond what is currently required in its hazardous waste permit.  This plan will help to ensure that the hazardous waste Clean Harbors receives and generates will be properly characterized and managed.  Further, Clean Harbors has installed and will maintain a vapor collection system for its tanks that will collect and treat volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, which contribute to smog.

“This settlement underscores how important it is that companies and individuals handling and managing hazardous wastes carefully adhere to the protective requirements EPA and MassDEP have established for these substances,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office.  “Complying with these standards helps reduce the possibility of a chemical release that could put the community and the environment at risk. I am also pleased that under this settlement a large number of trees will be planted, which will improve air quality and the quality of life for Boston citizens.”

Click the above link for more information.

From Legal Newsline:

California Attorney General Kamala Harris says cargo terminals at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles will have to reduce their diesel emissions. Harris’ settled her lawsuit Monday, only two months after filing a lawsuit that alleged the terminals were violating Proposition 65 by exposing residents to high levels of diesel exhaust without warning.

“This settlement will speed the requirements for port terminals to reduce diesel emissions,” Harris said. “This is vitally important because expanding port traffic leads nearby residents to be exposed to polluted air and increased risk of cancer and other diseases.”

The settlement requires terminals to:

• Implement a warning program using newspaper ads, bus shelter signs and the Internet;
• Undertake projects valued at $1 million per terminal to reduce diesel emissions; and
• Pay the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles for projects to lower diesel emissions from trucks, tractors and trains.

For the full story, click on the link above.

From The Center For Consumer Freedom:

Since Prop 65’s passage in 1986, lawyers have exploited this safe-drinking-water law to shakedown food manufacturers for producing foods that have chemicals in them that might—emphasize might—be carcinogenic, depending on the exposure. In their sights now is a chemical called acrylamide. In 1990, California listed acrylamide as potentially hazardous due to concerns about workplace exposure. But more recently, scientists discovered that acrylamide can form in foods (in very, very low levels) during frying, roasting, and baking.

In May, a California law firm filed a lawsuit over acrylamide being in coffee and demanded warning labels on every cup of joe. Sound a little overzealous? Washington D.C.-based WTOP reports that even the Food and Drug Administration says acrylamide isn’t a major health issue:

“The FDA is continuing its research on acrylamide, but there is nothing that has been shown that this is a public health concern,” says FDA spokesman Doug Karas.

Karas says recent tests on animals showed that when exposed to very high levels of acrylamide, it can lead to cancer. But he says those are “much higher levels than we would ever be exposed to when eating.”

How much higher? The average person is exposed to levels of acrylamide thousands of times lower than the amount that causes cancer in lab rats. In order to be in any real danger from acrylamide, a person of average weight would have to consume 62 pounds of potato chips or 182 pounds of french fries every day for a lifetime.

For the full story, click on the link above.

From The Manufacturer:

EEF has launched a unique package of guidance to help manufacturers struggling to understand and comply with the new EU Regulations on use of hazardous chemicals.

REACH is EU regulation that restricts the use of hazardous chemicals and is aimed at protecting human health and the environment. Many manufacturers will be affected by REACH, even if they do not use the substances directly as they may assemble or sell products that contain hazardous substances. REACH is expected to affect around 30,000 substances on the EU market. Under the Regulations companies can find themselves at risk if they do not know about these products (as their ability to buy these products may be affected if they are taken off the European market) or they have an obligation to inform their customers of the presence of these substances.

To help companies understand and meet their obligations EEF has launched a special micro site which contains guidance for both manufacturers and downstream users, as well as an up to date listing of the substances covered. EEF is also offering companies the opportunity to sign up to e-alerts that will keep them informed with the most up to date REACH information, such as latest changes or additions to Candidate Lists of Intended Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs), which can affect your business continuity.

The micro-site can be found at www.eef.org.uk/reach, where companies can download the guidance document, sign up to the e-alert system or seek consultancy advice.

Additional information can be found at the link above.

From Health Canada:

Health Canada has posted a new presentation on the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act. You can view the presentation here:

Canada Consumer Product Safety Act Presentation

We will keep you updated with any new information regarding CCPSA.

From European Respiratory Journal and Dr. Sam Girgis:

Researchers from Germany lead by Dr. Thorsten Walles have shown that dogs can accurately detect lung cancer in the breath samples from lung cancer patients.  The results of their research were published online before print in the European Respiratory Journal.  The researchers used four sniffer dogs to test for the presence of a volatile organic compound in the breath of patients with lung cancer.  There were two German shepherds, one Labrador retriever, and one Australian shepherd.  The dogs were trained to differentiate the breath pattern of patients with lung cancer from those of normal individuals and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  Exhalation breath samples from 220 study volunteers that were healthy, confirmed to have lung cancer, or had COPD were used in the study.  The sniffer dogs were able to identify lung cancer with an overall sensitivity of 71% and a specificity of 93%.  Importantly, the researchers were able to show that the sniffer dogs were able to detect lung cancer independently from COPD, the presence of tobacco smoke, and food odors.

Future studies with focus on the identification of the diagnostic volatile organic compound and development of electronic sensor technologies to detect it.  Using these methods, it may one day be possible to replicate the ability of dogs to detect lung cancer and establish a cheap and widely available screening test for lung cancer.

More information can be found by clicking the links above.

From Health Canada:

On August 19, 2011 Health Canada issued a recall involving Anne McClean Brand aerosol cleaners and air fresheners which were distributed by Liquidation World Stores.

The products do not have the mandatory labelling as required under Canadian law.

The products lack the symbols and warnings required for consumer chemicals. The lack of appropriate warnings on the label could result in unintentional exposure to these products and lead to serious illness or injury.

If you have any doubts about the compliancy of your chemical products, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We can be contacted at:
Nexreg Toll Free: 1-866-361-3032
E-mail:info@nexreg.com