NEWS

OEHHA Will Consider Process to Establish Permissible Lead Levels in Certain Candies

In response to a petition filed by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), OEHHA has announced it will hold a hearing on whether to consider establishing new regulations that would effectively limit the amount of lead in candy containing chili and tamarind.

OEHHA Announces it Will List Flame Retardant as Carcinogen

OEHHA has announced its intent to list Pentabromodiphenyl Ether Mixture [DE-71 (technical grade)] as a carcinogen.

AG Concludes that Settlement of Private Enforcement Action is Void

Attorney General Xavier Becerra's office has sent a letter to two law firms advising them that it considers a proposed settlement of alleged Proposition 65 violations to be "void and against public policy."

Two New Expert Panel Members Appointed and Two Others Reappointed

Governor Brown has appointed two new members to the two scientific panels that are responsible for reviewing potential additions to the Proposition 65 list of carcinogens and reproductive toxicants.

OEHHA Finalizes Safe Harbor Level for Ethylene Glycol

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has announced it has finalized a maximum allowable dose level (MADL) of 8,700 micrograms per day for the ingestion of the Proposition 65-listed developmental toxicant ethylene glycol.

Bill Would Require Ingredient Labeling on Cleaning Products

Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) has introduced what he describes as the Cleaning Product Right to Know Act of 2017.

DTSC Formally Proposes to Designate Second Priority Product

The Department of Toxic Substances Control has formally proposed to designate spray polyurethane foam systems with unreacted methylene diphenyl diisocyanates (SPF Systems) as a "priority product" pursuant to the department's Safe Consumer Products (SCP) program.

OEHHA Will List Glyphosate and Proposes a Safe Harbor for Its Use

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has announced that it will list the controversial pesticide glyphosate as a carcinogen under Proposition 65.

Bill Introduced to Require Warnings on Sugar Sweetened Beverages

Senate Majority Leader Bill Monning (D-Carmel) has introduced proposed legislation that would require specified warning labels on sugar-sweetened beverages that contain more than 75 calories of sweeteners.

Proposed Law Would Make It Easier for Defendant to Discover Basis for Prop. 65 Certificate of Merit

Democratic Assembly member Ed Chau (D-Monterey Park) has introduced proposed legislation that would enable the target of a private party Proposition 65 lawsuit to discover the basis for the "certificate of merit" filed by the plaintiff in support of that suit.

GOP to Revive 'Secret Science' Bill

Scott Waldman, E&E News reporter, wrote in January about the "Secret Science Reform Act." The legislation has been pushed by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) for years.

March 2017 TSCA Update

On June 22 of last year, President Obama signed into law a completely revised version of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

TRI Releases 2015 National Analysis

This year's Toxics Release Inventory shows significant reductions in releases of toxic chemicals into the air from 2005 to 2015.

Commenters Point Out Inherent Conflict in Draft AA Analysis

February 3 was the deadline for written comments on the Department of Toxic Substances Control’s draft Alternatives Analysis (AA) Guidance for those preparing AAs under the Department’s Safer Consumer Products (SCP) program.

Common House Dust Could Contain Cancer-Causing Molecules

Reporter Bennett McIntosh reported in Nova Next about a Canadian study on how common dust found in the homes contains potentially cancer-causing chemicals.

U.S. Congressional Committee Demands Answers on WHO Cancer Agency

Kate Kelland, of Reuters, reported in January that the chairman of a U.S. congressional committee investigating taxpayer funding of the World Health Organization cancer agency has asked U.S. health officials to release crucial documents.

Ingredient in Nutella May Cause Cancer, Study Finds

Potentially bad news for Nutella lovers, reports Michelle Robertson of the San Francisco Chronicle. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has deemed palm oil a possible carcinogen.

Global Food System as a Transport Pathway for Hazardous Chemicals: The Missing Link Between Emissions and Exposure

A study by Carla Ng and Natalie von Goetz, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, found that food is a pathway for human exposure to hazardous chemicals.

EPA Issues Final Hydraulic Fracturing Report

Bernadette Rappold, an attorney with Greenberg Traurig, reported at Lexology that in a final report the EPA concluded that activities throughout the hydraulic fracturing water cycle – from water withdrawal through disposal of produced water – "can impact drinking water resources under some circumstances."

UK Environmental Audit Committee Calls for Brexit Environmental Protection Law

Anita LLoyd, an attorney with Squire Patton Boggs, wrote at Lexology about the UK Environmental Audit Committee's published report that makes a series of recommendations for actions that the Government should take during the Brexit process to avoid weakening levels of environmental protection after Britain leaves the EU.