Chemical Watch News and Insight Podcast

In this week's episode, North America reporter Jon Kelvey talks about the significance of a bill which has been passed in California restricting more than a dozen substances from cosmetic products and banning the manufacture or sale of cosmetics containing those substances from January 2025. Also on the podcast, global managing editor, Kate Lowe, is joined by Europe correspondent Clelia Oziel who reveals the thinking behind the UK government's decision to give industry more time – up to six years in some cases – to complete registration dossiers under the UK REACH which comes into being on 1 January 2021. And staying with the transition to UK REACH, Europe reporter Kathryn Carlson talks about the UK government’s disbanding of the expert trade advisory group for the chemicals sector – a move which NGOs fear could lead to compromises on environmental protection and health as the country negotiates post-Brexit trade deals involving chemicals. Finally, we return to the US and hear from North America managing editor Terry Hyland about the publication last Friday by the US Environmental Protection Agency of the final scope documents for risk evaluation of 20 high-priority substances under TSCA. Also on Friday the final list was released of companies that will be responsible for paying a share of the $1.35m fee that comes with each risk evaluation. So a big day for chemicals management.

In this latest episode of the Chemical Watch Podcast, our North America managing editor Terry Hyland talks about work being carried out by electronics association IPC to better understand the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) within the electronics sector; an investigation that has been sparked by increasing regulation of PFASs around the globe. Also on the podcast, global managing editor, Kate Lowe, is joined by Chemical Watch Asia reporter Ellen Daliday and science editor Andrew Turley.  They take a look at the impact on industry of stricter supervision requirements outlined in recently published draft technical guidelines for the production and supply of cosmetics in China. Finally, they turn to Europe, where regulators are once again looking at how polymers might be brought under REACH, and consider why this is such a challenging task.

In this latest episode of the Chemical Watch Podcast, North America managing editor Terry Hyland talks about the upturn in requests to the US EPA to consider exempting certain ‘critical uses’ from potential regulatory activity under TSCA – a development which appears to be driven by a ramping up of risk management activity under the amended law. Also on the podcast, global managing editor, Kate Lowe, is joined by Chemical Watch biocides editor Vanessa Zainzinger and business editor Leigh Stringer. They discuss what happens when derogations made under a clause in the EU biocidal products Regulation for the production of disinfectants in the wake of coronavirus Covid-19, expire in September. Finally, staying with Europe, the conversation turns to industry’s readiness to submit data on substances of concern in products to Echa’s SCIP database.

In this latest episode of the Chemical Watch Podcast, editorial director, Geraint Roberts, talks about concerns flagged by the European Chemicals Agency Echa, that its contribution to the European Green Deal agenda and chemicals strategy for sustainability will be at risk unless, "stability, predictability and certainty of financing are guaranteed." Also on the podcast, global managing editor, Kate Lowe, is joined by Chemical Watch's emerging markets reporter Ginger Hervey and Asia reporter Ellen Daliday. They discuss the call from three dozen UN human rights experts for nations to stop allowing the export – frequently to developing regions – of toxic chemicals which are banned in their own jurisdictions. Finally, the conversation turns to the possible ramifications of a likely extension by the Taiwanese authorities of the registration deadline for the first batch of 106 priority existing chemicals – or Pecs – until at least 2023.

In this latest episode of the Chemical Watch Podcast, global managing editor, Kate Lowe, is joined by editorial director Geraint Roberts, North America managing editor Terry Hyland and science editor Andrew Turley. First, we hear more about a leaked European Commission internal document which shows early health and environmental protection commitments for an ambitious new EU chemicals strategy for sustainability, are likely to be significantly amended. Secondly, we take a look at the concerns of trade groups representing the semiconductor industry, automotive manufacturers, retailers and moreover the difficulties they may face meeting notification requirements in the US EPA’s recent TSCA significant new use rule covering certain long-chain per- and poly-fluoro-alkyl substances (PFASs). And finally, we discuss the significance of endocrine disruptors – and a European Commission ‘preliminary view’ that the creation of new hazard classes is the best way to include endocrine disruptors (EDs) in the CLP Regulation which covers the classification and labelling of substances and mixtures.

In this latest episode of the Chemical Watch Podcast, global managing editor, Kate Lowe, is joined by emerging markets reporter Ginger Hervey, science editor, Andrew Turley and business editor, Leigh Stringer. First, we hear about plans in Ghana to consult this autumn on a draft comprehensive chemicals bill that would require companies to register all industrial and consumer chemicals in the country, and would give the agency authority to ban chemicals that pose "unnecessary harm". Secondly, we take a look at European Commission plans to introduce new categories for substances of very high concern under REACH, for chemicals which are persistent, mobile and toxic or very persistent and very mobile - also known as PMTs and vPvMs. And finally, we discuss the significance of the announcement from technology giant HP Inc that 98.5% of the total weight of all of its products consist of substances considered by the NGO-led Chemical Footprint Project to be safer alternatives to chemicals of high concern.

In this latest episode of the Chemical Watch Podcast, Kate Lowe is joined by science editor Andrew Turley, editorial director Geraint Roberts and North America managing editor Terry Hyland. First we hear about an international group of scientists who are making the argument for managing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) as a class, and who say a more precise set of criteria is needed to categorise ‘essential’ and ‘non-essential’ uses – a distinction vital to draft European Commission proposals to phase out all but 'essential' uses of PFASs across a wide range of legislation. Secondly, we catch up with the post-Brexit concerns of the chemicals industry in the UK where representatives continue to warn that the UK REACH regime’s attempts to create a parallel database will both weaken UK manufacturing and potentially cut the number of chemicals on the market. And finally, we take a look at the implications of the US EPA’s plans to propose a rule in November that would allow it to obtain information about potential hazards and exposure pathways related to certain chemicals on the TSCA work plan – a list of 90 chemicals the agency put together in 2014 based on their potential for high hazard and exposure.

In this episode of the Chemical Watch Podcast, global managing editor Kate Lowe is joined by North America managing editor Terry Hyland, Asia desk reporter Ellen Daliday and emerging markets reporter Ginger Hervey. First, we catch up on the progress of a raft of expected developments concerning the first risk evaluations to be carried out in the US under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act. Second, we catch up with progress on Thailand’s draft new chemical law and plans for a national inventory - and in particular the views of the chemical industry there about the developments. And finally, we hear some of the highlights and insights from a Chemical Watch conference this week on Latin America where chemicals regimes are in transition.

In this latest episode of the Chemical Watch Podcast, news editor Charlotte Niemiec is joined by North America managing editor Terry Hyland and editorial director Geraint Roberts to discuss two stories from the week. First, the news from the US that two Republican senators have said they will oppose the nomination of Nancy Beck, a former principal deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention at the EPA, to chair the US Consumer Product Safety Commission which assesses the risks associated with some 15,000 consumer products in the US. Second, we look at the EU’s plans for a cross-agency ‘one substance - one assessment’ approach to regulating chemicals. This week, several NGOs urged the EU to take a ‘grouping approach’ to speed up regulatory action and the substitution of safer alternatives. But what exactly are the EU’s plans?

In this latest episode of the Chemical Watch Podcast, global managing editor Kate Lowe is joined by reporter Terry Hyland, managing editor of our North America desk to discuss two stories from the week. Firstly, a federal trial now underway in the US state of California that could set a new standard for how courts handle citizen petitions under TSCA – a development which could have considerable ramifications for stakeholders. Secondly, we catch up with developments in Canada where after several years of anticipation, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act finally looks set for a major overhaul this autumn.