On September 19, 2023, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) published a report providing an overview of cell-cultivated meat. The report provides an overview of the science of cell-cultivated meat, the industry, the regulatory framework for cell-cultivated meat products, congressional interests, and potential policy considerations. CRS states that cell-cultivated meat is developed in a lab, grown from a sample of animal cells that does not require the slaughter of animals. Developing...
October 5, 2023
Minnesota Requests Comments on Planned New Rules Governing PFAS in Products Reporting and PFAS in Products Fees
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) published two Requests for Comments (RFC) on two planned per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) rulemakings in the September 25, 2023, State Register, the PFAS in Products Reporting Rule (Revisor ID Number R-4828) and the PFAS in Products Fees Rule (Revisor ID Number R-4827). Comments on the RFCs are due by 4:30 p.m. (CST) on Tuesday, November 28, 2023....
October 4, 2023
Richard E. Engler, Ph.D. and Catherine M. Croke, DBA to Present During Chemical Watch’s “TSCA Fundamentals” Course
Tuesday, October 10, and Wednesday, October 11, 2023, via webinar Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to announce that Director of Chemistry, Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., and Director of Product Stewardship and Regulatory Affairs, Catherine M. Croke, DBA, will join Chemical Watch to present TSCA Fundamentals. This two-day course will offer in-depth training on the very latest Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) regulatory...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on September 29, 2023, that it is adding ten chemicals to the Safer Chemical Ingredients List (SCIL). EPA describes the SCIL as “a living list of chemicals that EPA’s Safer Choice program has evaluated and determined meet Safer Choice criteria.” With this update, the SCIL includes a total of 1,071 chemicals that are “among the safest for their functional use.” According to EPA, the SCIL provides increased transparency...
On September 28, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a long-overdue final rule under Section 8(a)(7) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) regarding reporting and recordkeeping requirements for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). As discussed below, the final rule is not what many of us expected, nor wanted. EPA states that the reporting rule is a statutory requirement under the fiscal year (FY) 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that requires...
October 3, 2023
NNCO October 10, 2023, Symposium Postponed Until 2024
On October 2, 2023, the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) announced that its October 10, 2023, symposium entitled “Enabling the Nanotechnology Revolution: Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act” has been postponed. NNCO states that it is working with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and its speakers to find a replacement date in late February or early March 2024. NNCO will share updated...
October 2, 2023
BETO Announces Recycling Process That Can Transform Plastic Waste into “High-Value” Chemicals
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on September 14, 2023, that a new process from the University of Wisconsin (UW) – Madison allows chemical engineers to transform plastic waste into “high-value” chemicals, “increasing the economic incentives for plastic recycling and creating novel pathways to recycle new types of plastics.” According to BETO, investigators led by Dr. George W. Huber, a professor of chemical and biological...
September 29, 2023
FDA Will Hold 2023 NanoDay Symposium on Continuous Manufacturing of Nanomaterials
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold a virtual 2023 NanoDay symposium on October 11, 2023, on the continuous manufacturing of nanomaterials. In the symposium, FDA will provide an overview of Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) experience with approving several solid oral drug products that benefited from the continuous manufacturing technologies. FDA states that it will also provide case studies of intramural and extramural research in the areas of nanomaterials and...
September 29, 2023
Karin F. Baron, MSPH, and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., to Speak at SCHC’s Annual Meeting
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to announce that Karin F. Baron, MSPH, Director of Hazard Communication and International Registration Strategy, and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., Director of Chemistry, will present the full-day Regulatory Jurisdiction Workshop on October 2, 2023, an intermediate course where participants will gain a clearer understanding of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Federal Insecticide,...
September 29, 2023
GAO Releases Report on Detecting, Limiting Exposure to, and Treating PFAS Contamination
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) publicly released a report on September 27, 2023, entitled “Persistent Chemicals: Detecting, Limiting Exposure To, and Treating PFAS Contamination.” According to GAO, examples of how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) enter the environment include: GAO’s recommendations, published in earlier reports, include: GAO states that it has ongoing work examining public water systems’ implementation of PFAS treatment methods and efforts to...