Memoranda

EPA Makes Final Revisions To EPCRA Hazard Categories: On June 13, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued final revisions to EPCRA Sections 311 and 312 occasioned by changes to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). 81 Fed. Reg. 38104. Under the revised HCS, chemical manufacturers and importers are required to evaluate their chemicals according to the new criteria adopted from the United Nations (UN) Globally...

EPA Extends Comment Period On RCRA Corrosive Dust Petition For Six Months: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 10, 2016, extended until December 7, 2016, the comment period on its April 11, 2016 (81 Fed. Reg. 21295) tentative denial of a petition by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) to amend regulations under 40 C.F.R. § 261.22 regarding the definition of corrosive hazardous wastes under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). 81...

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on May 24, 2016, that Viatek Consumer Products Group, Inc. and Company owner and President Lou Lentine have agreed to settle FTC charges that they made deceptive claims for Viatek-brand Mosquito Shield Bands. FTC also charged Lentine and Viatek with violating a 2003 administrative order prohibiting Lentine from making product claims without “competent and reliable” evidence to support them. According to the FTC’s February 2015...

In preparation for the opening of the reporting period for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2016 Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) conducted a review of recent enforcement actions taken by EPA under the CDR rule. B&C reviewed enforcement action data from May 2007 through September 2014 and found 37 different cases involving an allegation of a violation of the CDR rule. Based on the data collected, B&C highlighted a...

As we are poised to witness the reauthorization of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) — the first revision of our domestic chemical management law in 40 years — stakeholders will need immediately to understand what the “new TSCA” means for their industrial operations and strategically adjust their global operations to the new law. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) convened a summit to examine generally the anticipated changes to TSCA, the process and...

Firm clients and friends with interests in perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and other perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) are likely aware that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to issue by mid-May or so new guidance on safe drinking water levels for these chemicals. As EPA and a handful of states continue to address elevated levels of lead in drinking water, EPA Administrator McCarthy has made clear in various meetings over the past...

On April 22, 2016, California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued a final notice listing styrene as known to the state to cause cancer under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Prop 65). OEHHA also issued a proposal to adopt a Prop 65 No Significant Risk Level (NSRL) of 27 micrograms per day for styrene. The listing of styrene has been contentious. OEHHA previously attempted to propose...

On April 11, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a memorandum entitled “Coverage for ZirconizationTM Under 40 CFR Part 433 (Metal Finishing ELG),” which concludes that “wastewater generated by ZirconizationTM or a process that applies a zirconium oxide finish to a metal substrate is subject to the Metal Finishing [Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELG)].” Zirconization is the trade name for a process that produces a zirconium oxide...

On April 22, 2016, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) issued a monograph concluding that cobalt and cobalt compounds that release cobalt ions in vivo are expected to cause human cancer. Specifically, NTP stated that “[t]here is sufficient evidence for the carcinogenicity of cobalt and cobalt compounds that release cobalt ions in vivo (collectively referred to as cobalt) in experimental animals based on increased incidence of malignant and/or a combination of...

In response to the increasing concerns regarding emerging viral pathogens that are not on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered disinfectant labels, EPA announced on April 7, 2016, that it was updating its Guidance regarding emerging viral pathogens. Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EPA is authorized to evaluate the efficacy of antimicrobial products intended to control pathogens that can be detrimental to public health. Many believe...