From: HSE

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a revised version of EH40 to replace the previous version which was first published in 2005. This edition takes into account new substances and workplace exposure limits (WELs) that have been introduced in 2007 and 2011.

Follow the link below for a free copy of this regulation.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/eh40.pdf

These new exposure limits take immediate effect over the previous edition.

From: Business Green

The European Parliament has approved new rules that will require washing powders and dishwasher detergents to become almost phosphorus-free, in a move designed to protect river and marine habitats and wildlife.

The Parliament voted through the new package of regulations last week by 631 votes to 18, with four abstentions. The European Council is now expected to approve the rules, allowing them to become EU law.

Under the new standards, from June 2013 a dose of washing powder must not contain more than 0.5 grams of phosphorus….Meanwhile, dishwasher detergents will have to meet a phosphorus limit of 0.3 grams per dose by 1 January 2017.

Click on the links for more information.

From: The Wall Street Journal

Colorado and Texas adopted rules Tuesday that require oil and natural-gas companies to disclose the chemicals they inject underground in the drilling technique known as fracking.

The rules are part of a broader effort by states to show they are serious about regulating the rapidly expanding hydraulic fracturing ahead of possible new federal rules governing chemical disclosure, water disposal, air emissions and well construction.

Next month, the federal government is expected to issue guidelines for disposal of water used in fracking, and the Interior Department later will publish rules governing such operations on public lands.

Click on the links for more information.

From: Health Canada

Parliamentary Secretary of Health Colin Carrie today announced changes to the classification of ten naturally sourced ingredients making them eligible for inclusion in natural health products.

The 10 ingredients include minerals, oils and salts which are used in traditional medicine and in Western natural health product formulations to maintain and improve health.  These ingredients had previously been restricted to products available by prescription.

Health Canada has reviewed evidence indicating that these medicinal ingredients are suitable for use without a prescription.

Click on the above link for a list of the ten ingredients.

From: OSHA

In November, OSHA issued citations and fines to two salons for failing to implement precautions to protect workers from exposure to formaldehyde when using certain hair-smoothing products. Formaldehyde can irritate the eyes and nose; can cause allergic reactions of the skin, eyes and lungs; and is a cancer hazard. Salon owners who decide to use products that may contain or release formaldehyde must follow the requirements of OSHA’s formaldehyde and hazard communication standards to keep workers safe.

“We want to make sure that salon owners are aware that if they use these products, they have to implement protective measures such as air monitoring and training,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. “What is very troubling to the agency is that some of these products clearly expose workers to formaldehyde even when the label states they are ‘formaldehyde free.’”

OSHA continues to respond to complaints and referrals of formaldehyde exposure in salons, beauty schools and manufacturing facilities. To date in calendar year 2011, federal OSHA has issued citations to 23 salon owners and beauty schools in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida, Illinois, New York, New Jersey and Ohio, with fines ranging up to $17,500 for failing to protect workers from overexposure and potential exposure to formaldehyde.

Click on the links for more information.

From: theguardian

The US Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday for the first time that fracking — a controversial method of improving the productivity of oil and gas wells — may be to blame for causing groundwater pollution.

The practice is called hydraulic fracturing and involves pumping pressurized water, sand and chemicals underground to open fissures and improve the flow of oil or gas to the surface.

The EPA found that compounds likely associated with fracking chemicals had been detected in the groundwater beneath Pavillion, a small community in central Wyoming where residents say their well water reeks of chemicals. Health officials last year advised them not to drink their water after the EPA found low levels hydrocarbons in their wells.

For more information on this study, please click the above link.

Two Illinois laws go into effect on January 1, 2012: State of Illinois Criminal Offense  (720 ILCS 5/12‑37)
Sec. 12‑37. Possession and sale of caustic and noxious substances & (720 ILCS 5/12‑38)
Sec. 12‑38. Restrictions on purchase or acquisition of corrosive or caustic acid.

From the Illinois Retail Merchants Association:

H.B. 2193 (Sen. Bill Haine, D- Alton/Rep. Susana Mendoza, D- Chicago) was passed to the Governor yesterday by the Assembly. H.B. 2193 seeks to regulate caustic and corrosive acids. The legislation was initiated after two attacks last year on Chicago women who were left badly scarred after having acid poured on them.

The proposed law will do two things. First, it places limits on who can possess products that contain a federally delineated amount of caustic or corrosive acids and it creates a registry at the retail level for purchasers of these products.  The law states that no person can possess a product that is regulated by Title 16 CFR Section 1500.129 of the Federal Caustic Poison Act unless they fall into a number of exemptions listed in the Bill.  Persons engaged in the sale, possession, transportation, or use of such products for their intended commercial purpose, are exempt from the restriction on possession of the product. Second, retailers who sell such products will be required to register customers prior to their sale.  Customers must provide government-issued identification with their picture, as well as fill out a form listing the date and time of the transaction, brand and product names and net weight of the items.  Batteries are exempt from the registry requirements.

The new also law states that it is unlawful for any person knowingly to have in his or her possession or to carry about any of the substances which are regulated by Title 16 CFR Section 1500.129 of the Federal Caustic Poison Act and are required to contain the words “causes severe burns” as the affirmative statement of principal hazard on its label.

Full text of the (720 ILCS 5/12‑37)  Sec. 12‑37. Possession and sale of caustic and noxious substances can be found here, and full text of (720 ILCS 5/12‑38) Sec. 12‑38. Restrictions on purchase or acquisition of corrosive or caustic acid can be found here.

Click the links above for more information, we will keep you informed of any future changes.

From OEHHA:

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

OEHHA requested information relevant to the possible listing of kresoxim-methyl and tetraconazole in a notice published in the California Regulatory Notice Register on October 22, 2010 (Register 2010, Vol. No. 43-Z). OEHHA received public comments on both chemicals.

Background on listing via the authoritative bodies mechanism: A chemical must be listed under the Proposition 65 regulations when two conditions are met:

1. An authoritative body formally identifies the chemical as causing cancer (Section 25306(d) ).
2. The evidence considered by the authoritative body meets the sufficiency criteria contained in the regulations (Section 25306(e)).

However, the chemical is not listed if scientifically valid data which were not considered by the authoritative body clearly establish that the sufficiency of evidence criteria were not met (Section 25306(f)).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) is one of several institutions designated as authoritative for the identification of chemicals as causing cancer (Section 25306(m)).

OEHHA is the lead agency for Proposition 65 implementation. After an authoritative body has made a determination about a chemical, OEHHA evaluates whether listing under Proposition 65 is required using the criteria contained in the regulations.

OEHHA’s determination: Kresoxim-methyl and tetraconazole each meet the criteria for listing as known to the State to cause cancer under Proposition 65, based on findings of the U.S. EPA (U.S. EPA, 1999; U.S. EPA, 2000).

The full article can be found here.

We will keep you informed of any future updates.