NEWS

EPA Issues Final TSCA Evaluation for 1,4-Dioxane

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued its final risk evaluation for 1,4-dioxane pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

Final Evaluation of Pigment Violet 29 Still Not Complete

By December 31, 2020 U.S. EPA had finalized (or partially finalized in the case of asbestos) risk evaluations of nine of the ten initial chemicals slated for evaluation pursuant to the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act.

DTSC Says it Will Ask Tire Makers to Consider Removing Zinc

The Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has announced that it is looking at listing motor vehicle tires containing zinc as a Priority Product (PP) under DTSC's Safer Consumer Products program (SCP).

60-Day Notice Trends: January 2021

303 60-Day notices were served in December 2020. The resurgent trend of cocamide DEA notices continued.

Attorney General Becerra Sues Seafood Companies for Exposing Consumers to Lead and Cadmium

The State of California, represented by Attorney General Xavier Becerra, filed a lawsuit against five companies that sell seafood in California.

EPA's Final TSCA Evaluation for Asbestos is Far From Final

On December 30, 2020 U.S. EPA released what it describes as its final risk evaluation for asbestos.

OEHHA to Limit Use of Prop. 65 Short Form Warnings

When the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) in 2016 adopted significantly new rules governing Proposition 65 "safe harbor" warnings, it included a provision for a limited "short-form" warning.

OEHHA Releases Draft RELs for Trivalent Chromium

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has released draft Reference Exposure Levels (RELs) for Chromium (Trivalent) and Inorganic Water-Soluble Trivalent Chromium Compounds (Cr(III)).

OEHHA Adds Developmental Toxicity to Prop. 65 BPA Listing

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has moved to add "developmental toxicity" to its listing of Bisphenol-A (BPA) as a Prop. 65 reproductive toxicant.

Attorney General Asks Private Enforcers to Include Summaries for Confidential Information Submitted in Support of 60-Day Notices

On December 16, 2020, the Attorney General sent a letter to thirty-two law firms representing private Proposition 65 enforcers.

U.S. EPA Issues a Final TSCA Risk Evaluation for NMP

U.S. EPA has made n-Methylpyrrolidone (NMP) the seventh existing chemical for which it has completed a final risk evaluation pursuant to the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

EPA Takes Final Action on PBT Chemicals

On December 22 U.S. EPA issued final rules placing restrictions on the manufacture, import, and use of five so-called persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals.

EPA Issues Proposed Changes to TSCA Fees Rule

The 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) provide EPA with expanded authority to collect fees from chemical manufacturers and importers to help defray up to 25 percent of the costs of EPA's overall TSCA implementation efforts.

CHEMICAL OF THE MONTH: THC

On January 3, 2020, OEHHA listed delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as a reproductive toxin. THC is one of several biologically active compounds found in the cannabis plant, which is responsible for its psychological effects.

DARTIC Identifies Glyphosate and PFAS as Leading Candidates for Prop. 65 Listing

California's expert panel for listing Proposition 65 reproductive toxicants has identified Glyphosate and three Per- and Polyfluorinated substances (PFASs) as high priority candidates for future listing as Prop. 65 reproductive toxicants, along with a number of other substances.

OEHHA Issues New Fact Sheets on Aloe Vera and Toluene

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has issued fact sheets on aloe vera and toluene.

U.S. EPA Issues a Final TSCA Risk Evaluation for Trichloroethylene

U.S. EPA has made Trichloroethylene the fifth existing chemical for which it has completed a final risk evaluation pursuant to the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

EPA Extends Deadline for CDR Information

U.S. EPA has recently announced that it is granting an industry request to extend the deadline for reporting the information required by its TSCA Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule.

EDF Argues That Supplemental Assessment of 1,4-Dioxande Ignores Major Risk

U.S. EPA has issued a Supplemental Risk Analysis of the solvent 1,4-dioxane that evaluates several additional "conditions of use" not covered in the original draft assessment.

60-Day Notice Trends, December 2020: Resurgence of Cocamide DEA Notices

This month saw a resurgence of notices alleging the presence of coconut oil diethanolamine condensate (cocamide diethanolamine), commonly known as cocamide DEA, in various cosmetic products.