At the 2019 GlobalChem conference, Greg Schweer, the EPA Chief of the New Chemicals Management Branch said that the Agency now has a clearer policy to identify possible future uses of new chemical substances in its Premanufacture Notification (PMN) evaluations, reports Bloomberg Environment. The Lautenberg amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) require EPA […]
On February 14, 2019, EPA released a Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Action Plan. The Plan identifies both short- and long-term action items the Agency will take to address current PFAS contamination, preventing future contamination, and effectively communicating with the public about PFAS. These action items include: Drinking water: EPA is moving forward with the […]
On October 16, 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposed rule that would establish Significant New Use Rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for 13 chemical substances for which premanufacture notices (PMNs) have been approved during the two years since the statute was amended. A total of 6 SNURs were […]
On October 10, 2018, EPA issued a press release announcing the new members of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) who will participate in the current reviews of the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone and PM. The press release also expands the description of the Committee’s charge, as previewed in the […]
Amazon recently issued a Responsible Sourcing Policy that restricts some chemicals and encourages the use of safer ones. The policy is comprised of a Supplier Code of Conduct and a Chemicals Policy. Supplier Code of Conduct The Supplier Code of Conduct sets out Amazon’s expectations for suppliers of goods and services. The policy notes that […]
California bill AB 2998 prohibits the sale of mattresses, upholstered furniture, and children’s products containing flame retardants at levels above 1,000 parts per million (ppm) after December 31, 2019. With some limited exceptions, the bill prohibits “persons,” including manufacturers, from selling or distributing these products at levels above 1,000 ppm, and prohibits custom upholsterers from […]
On September 28, 2018 EPA released the approach it will use to identify chemicals that could be included in the next group of risk evaluations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The approach is documented in the publication A Working Approach for Identifying Potential Candidate Chemicals for Prioritization (A Working Approach). EPA also announced […]
On August 27, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued two direct final rules promulgating significant new use rules (SNURs) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The first direct final rule promulgates SNURs for ten chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN). 83 Fed. Reg. 43527. The second direct final […]
EPA recently released the second draft of an Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for “ecological effects” from NOx, SOx and PM, which include effects on flora, fauna and water resources. The ISA will be used to determine the need for revising the current secondary national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for these pollutants. Other welfare effects […]
As a result of widespread interest EPA recently extended the comment deadline for proposed revisions to AP42 chapter 7, which specifies emission factors for organic liquid storage tanks. The AP42 emission factors are used to estimate emissions from specific industrial facilities and processes when no site-specific emissions data are available. They are used in a […]
