Mar. 31 – US: EPA to Scrutinize Environmental Impact of Bisphenol A

From Gather:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) [Monday] announced a number of actions to address the potential effects of bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in the manufacture of a wide range of consumer and industrial products. The BPA action plan released [Monday] focuses on the environmental impacts of BPA and will look to add BPA to EPA’s list of chemicals of concern and require testing related to environmental effects…

Food packaging represents the most obvious source of BPA exposure to people and is regulated by FDA. Unlike FDA, EPA has authority over the potential environmental impacts of BPA…The EPA action plan on the environmental impacts of BPA includes:

-Adding BPA to the chemical concern list on the basis of potential environmental effects.

-Requiring information on concentrations of BPA in surface water, ground water, and drinking water to determine if BPA may be present at levels of potential concern.

-Requiring manufacturers to provide test data to assist the agency in evaluating its possible impacts, including long-term effects on growth, reproduction, and development in aquatic organisms and wildlife.

-Using EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) program to look for ways to reduce unnecessary exposures, including assessing substitutes, while additional studies continue.

-And, continuing to evaluate the potential disproportionate impact on children and other sub-populations through exposure from non-food packaging uses.

The full news release can be found on the EPA news website.
Click on the links for more information.

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