NEWS

EPA Likely to Deny All Low Volume Exceptions for PFAS

U.S. EPA has announced that it is changing its policy for reviewing new per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances under TSCA's new chemical program. The result will be the likelihood that no such substance will be allowed to enter the U.S. market through the use of a low-volume exception (LVE).

EPA Lists 390 Chemicals that Will Lose Confidential Status on the TSCA Inventory

U.S. EPA has released a list of 390 chemicals expected to lose their confidential status and that will move to the public portion of the Toxic Substances Control Act inventory.

OEHHA Sets Hearing, Extends Comment Deadline for Cannabis Smoke and THC Safe Harbor Proposal

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has set a public hearing and extended the public comment deadline for its proposed rule setting safe harbor warning language for cannabis smoke and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC) under Proposition 65.

DTSC Finalizes SCP Work Plan After Some Small Changes

The Department of Toxic Substances Control has released the final version of its 2021-2023 Priority Product Work Plan that is the first step in identifying consumer products that it is considering naming as Priority Products (PPs) under the agency's Safer Consumer Products (SCP) Program.

DTSC Releases Rationale for Naming Zinc in Tires Under the SCP Program

In January the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) announced that it intended to list vehicle tires containing zinc as a Priority Product (PP) pursuant to the Department's Safer Consumer Product (SCP) program.

PFOA Is Proposed for listing as Prop. 65 Carcinogen

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has proposed listing perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as a carcinogen under Proposition 65 and has finalized the listing of molybdenum trioxide and indium tin oxide as carcinogens under Prop. 65.

OEHHA Finalizes Listings of Molybdenum Trioxide and Indium Tin Oxide

OEHHA has formally listed molybdenum trioxide and indium tin oxide as carcinogens under Prop. 65 via the labor code mechanism.

OEHHA Proposes Safe Harbor Language for Cannabis Smoke and THC

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has proposed safe harbor warning language under Proposition 65 to guide businesses on properly warning consumers about exposures to cannabis smoke and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC).

OEHHA Seeks PFAS Data Ahead of Possible Prop. 65 Listing Decisions

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is seeking data on a series of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as it prepares for its Carcinogen Identification Committee (CIC) and its Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee (DARTIC) to consider listing them under Proposition 65.

District Court Enjoins Enforcement of Prop. 65 Acrylamide SuitsDistrict Court Enjoins Enforcement of Prop. 65 Acrylamide Suits

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California has issued a preliminary injunction against the filing of any new Proposition 65 lawsuit based on the failure to provide a warning that a product contains acrylamide.

Court Holds that DTSC's SPF System Priority Product Listing Failed to Comply With CEQA

On January 25, a Fresno County Superior Court judge ruled in American Chemistry Council. v. California Department of Toxic Substances Control that the Department of Toxic Substances Control failed to adequately comply with CEQA in its listing of spray polyurethane foam systems with unreacted methylene diphenyl diisocyanates (known as SPF Systems) as a Priority Product under the Department of Toxic Substances Control's Safer Consumer Products (SCP) program.

Short-Form Prop. 65 Warning Change Takes Beating at OEHHA Hearing

OEHHA's proposal to largely do away with the option of using a short-form warning to comply with Proposition 65 was vigorously attacked by business interests at a March 11 hearing.

Fifth Circuit Remands CPSC's Children's Phthalate Rule for Procedural Fixes

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has remanded a final rule adopted by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) back to the Commission for a fix of two procedural errors involved in the rulemaking process.

U.S. OSHA Proposes Updates to Hazard Communication Standard

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has released a notice of Proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would make several changes in the federal Hazardous Communications Standard (HCS).

Latest Update to the TSCA Inventory Is Now Available

On February 3 U.S. EPA announced the availability of the latest update to the TSCA Inventory.

State Water Board Asks OEHHA to Consider Cyanotoxin Drinking Water Risks

The State Water Resources Control Board's (SWB's) Division of Drinking Water has requested the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) develop water quality monitoring recommendations for four cyanotoxins responsible for harmful algal blooms.

OEHHA Releases Latest Version of EnviroScreen EJ Screening Tool

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has released a draft of its update to its EnviroScreen tool used to determine California communities that suffer disproportionately from multiple sources of pollution.

AG's Opening Brief in Glyphosate Prop. 65 Warning Appeal Will Rely on Customized Warning

The California Attorney General has filed the state's opening brief in its Ninth Circuit appeal of a U.S. District Court decision finding that a Proposition 65 warning requirement for products containing glyphosate violates the First Amendment.

Metal Recycler Schnitzer Steel Reaches $4.1 Million Hazardous Waste Settlement

State and local prosecutors have reached a $4.1 million settlement with Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc., a metal recycling company, for alleged hazardous waste violations at its West Oakland facility.

State Water Board Proposes Water Monitoring Standards for PFBS

The State Water Resources Control Board (SWB) has proposed drinking water monitoring standards for perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS)—a toxic chemical that is part of the wider group of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that regulators have targeted for cleanup.