The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) nationwide final biological opinion (BiOp) for Malathion has prompted EPA to take steps to protect a number of endangered species that were identified as being threatened by the insecticide. Malathion is an organophosphate insecticide use on a wide variety of food and non-food crops to kill insects systemically […]
A proposal in Washington state has stalled in the state House, after passing their Senate, that would have banned cosmetics that contain phthalates, formaldehyde, and PFAS. The proposal, Senate Bill 5703, states that legislature finds certain chemicals in cosmetic products to be linked with various negative health effects, such as cancer, birth defects, and damage […]
On March 16, 2022, EPA announced that the Agency would be taking two steps to further regulate PFAS in commerce. First, EPA notified manufactures of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) that they are obligated to comply with existing TSCA requirements to prevent unintentional PFAS contamination. Second, EPA stated that the Agency will remove two types of PFAS […]
On March 7, 2022, EPA released a draft revision to the risk determination for C.I. Pigment Violet 29 (PV29). Manufacturers and commercial clients use PV 29 as a weather fast and heat stable pigment in paints and coatings. These paints and coatings are primarily used in automobiles and industrial carpeting. The draft revision comes as […]
On March 7, 2022, EPA published the final scope of the risk evaluation for octamethylcyclotetra-siloxane (D4). This risk evaluation may affect producers of goods comprised of and/or utilizing the following: adhesives, sealants, synthetic rubber, electrical equipment, appliances, paint, ink/toner, aircraft maintenance components, automotive care components, cleaning products, fabrics/textile products. This is not intended to serve […]
In March 2022, EPA released the 2020 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) National Analysis, showing a decline of 10% for environmental releases of TRI chemicals from the previous year. EPA states that part of the reason for making the information public is to incentivize companies to reduce pollution. EPA is also offering $23 million in grants […]
On January 6, 2021, EPA issued a rule limiting manufacturing, importing, processing, and distribution of products containing phenol, isopropylated phosphate (3:1) (PIP (3:1)). That rule was scheduled to take effect on February 5, 2021, with a March 8, 2021, compliance date. After this date, companies would be prohibited from processing and distributing PIP (3:1) and […]
The New York State Teachers’ Retirement System and others (Teachers) will be able to continue pursuing claims that Chemours kept investors in the dark about the billions in potential environmental liabilities. On February 24th, a federal judge in Delaware ruled that Teachers’ claims of securities fraud plead sufficient facts to survive Chemours’ motion to dismiss. […]
On February 24, EPA announced a new effort “to modernize the process and bring innovative science to the review of new chemicals.” In addition, the effort is expected to “increase the transparency of the human health and ecological risk assessment process.” The Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) is collaborating on this effort […]
EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program is developing assessments for five PFAS: perfluorobutanoic acid [PFBA], perfluorohexanoic acid [PFHxA], perfluorohexane sulfonate [PFHxS], perfluorononanoic acid [PFNA], perfluorodecanoic acid [PFDA], and their associated salts. On February 2, EPA released the draft IRIS assessment for PFHxA. The IRIS assessment followed a systemic review protocol that outlines the related […]
