Regulatory Review: April–June

Trudy Watson-Leung, SETAC

The rate at which laws, regulations and administrative acts are created and improved all over the world is overwhelming. It can be difficult to keep on top of proposed or approved legal changes that may have a significant impact on how and why you do your science. The Regulatory Review in the SETAC Globe is designed to give a snapshot of topical regulatory information and activities that impact the SETAC scientific community.

• A new version of the International Uniform ChemicaL Information Database (IUCLID) was released along with a new OECD QSAR toolbox version 4.6, which has improved connection with IUCLID.
• A new publication of 370 study summaries for 75 chemicals as IUCLID datasets more than doubles the data available for developing animal alternative test methods.
• A new OECD policy paper identified that both production and international trade of critical raw materials (e.g., lead, zinc, tin, lithium, rare earth elements, chromium and more) need to be significantly increased to meet net zero CO2 emissions targets.
• The European Commission released guidance on the terminology, identification and list of relevant standards and guidance documents defining nanomaterials.
• Public comment period is open until 12 July on the final screening and risk management of Coumarin 1 and the other polymers group.

Pesticides

• Public comments are due 16 June for the USEPA Draft Guidance for Pesticide Application Submissions that Require Endangered Species Act Reviews.
• A 30-day comment period was held for a USEPA proposal to register use of Chlormequat Chloride pesticide, a plant growth regulator, for new use on food crops such as wheat, barley and oats.
• China’s Institute for the Control of Agrochemicals published the draft Measures on the Management of Pesticide Registration for public hearing.

PFAS

• Public comments on “A draft state of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) report” and “Risk management scope for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)” are due to ECCC 19 June.
• 12 June is the deadline to provide comments on USEPA proposed rule making on potential future designations of some PFAS chemicals as hazardous substances under Superfund.

ECCC Fact Sheets

• Species sensitivity distributions for water quality guidelines and ecological risk assessment
• The ecological risk classification of organic substances approach
• Use of new approach methods in risk assessment

Plastics

• ECCC published Technical paper: Federal Plastics Registry and Recycled content and labelling rules for plastics: Regulatory Framework Paper.

Please let us know if you become aware of anything that should be in next month’s Regulatory Review.

Author’s contact: [email protected]