From EWG

State agencies are now working with an official policy that urges them, for the sake of public health, to avoid products, equipment and other items containing any of 85 toxic chemicals whenever safer, cost-effective alternatives are available.

The list consists of known and probable human carcinogens identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Toxicology Program as well as substances that accumulate in the human body and don’t readily break down in the environment.

 It was the product of a four-year effort that brought together multiple environmental groups, including the Center for Health, Environment & Justice, the Grassroots Environmental Education, the Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition, the Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition, the Western New York Council for Occupational Safety & Health and many others.

Follow the links for more information.

From: Newmail Article Directory

When you drive home after picking up your clothes from the dry cleaners do you sometimes notice a faint chemical smell on the clothes? More than likely your garments were cleaned with dangerous chemicals that could harm the workers, the environment and the air in your home.

Cleaning fluids were mostly petroleum-based up until World War II but they would sometimes explode if they got too hot, and could cause dizziness or neurological problems. PERC, perchloroethylene, arrived on the scene and was thought to save the day. You couldn’t smell it, it was nonflammable, and was the most reliable solvent for removing dirt. However, PERC, a synthetic, volatile organic compound, happens to pose a health risk to humans as well and is a threat to the environment. According to Greenpeace, 70% of PERC winds up in the air or in ground water. The EPA says that it is during the cleaning, purification, and waste disposal phases of dry cleaning that these hazardous toxins can get into our air, water, and soil.

PERC is used by 3 out of 4 dry cleaners nationwide. California has banned the entire state from its use. Massachusetts, New York and Texas are also considering a ban.

Click on the links for more information.

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

From Courant.com:

Connecticut moved a step closer Tuesday to banning the sale of plastic baby bottles, food containers and cups containing a chemical that has been restricted in Canada and that some scientists say is a health threat.

A legislative committee unanimously endorsed restrictions on making, selling or distributing products in Connecticut made with bisphenol-A, or BPA. The substance is commonly used to harden plastic and make it shatterproof, and to line the insides of certain food containers.

Connecticut, California, Oregon, Hawaii and several other states are considering a ban or limits on the chemical. Suffolk County, on New York’s Long Island, last month became the first place in the nation to enact a ban. Canada announced a ban on the substance in baby bottles, becoming the first country last year to restrict the sale of the chemical.

If approved by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. M. Jodi Rell, the law would phase in restrictions over the next few years to prohibit making, selling or distributing baby bottles and certain other products made with BPA. Warning labels also would be required on all food products — not just infant formulas and others intended for children — that come in containers made with BPA and sold in Connecticut.

Click on the above link for more information.

Relevant Nexreg Compliance Links: OSHA MSDS Authoring, CPSC Consumer Label Reviews, Nexreg.

We thought our clients in the New York State area might be interested in this –
DEC to Hold Workshop for New York Businesses to Learn about New European Union Chemical Management System:

The workshop being held on September 26 at DEC headquarters in Albany will focus on the European Union’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical Substances (REACH). REACH is a recently adopted overhaul of the chemicals management system in the EU. REACH has important implications for United States firms exporting to EU member states and the rules became effective on June 1, 2007.

The new REACH system places increased responsibility on companies to collect data on most chemicals on the market, assess the risk of these chemicals, and define safe use down the supply chain. It also requires companies to justify continued use of chemicals of very high concern. Any company that exports chemicals or chemical mixtures into the EU, competes in Europe, the U.S. or elsewhere with products meeting European standards, or exports finished products to Europe will be affected by REACH. The September 26 Albany workshop will feature one of the authors of the REACH legislation and will provide an update on chemical management activities in New York.

For the full details, see:
DEC to Hold Workshop for New York Businesses to Learn about New European Union Chemical Management System.

Britt Bailey, Director of Environmental Commons, discusses potential state-level laws for the labeling of GMOs:

Now, four states are carrying bills making the agricultural biotechnology industry liable in the event another contamination occurs. Three states are hearing bills calling for a moratorium on food crops genetically engineered to produce pharmaceuticals. Illinois and Tennessee are calling for labeling of foods derived from genetically engineered crops. Five states, California, Hawaii, Minnesota, New York, and South Dakota, are calling for notification systems in which genetically modified foods become a part of the public record.

For the full piece see: States Introduce Numerous Bills to Regulate Genetically Modified Foods.