Regulatory Review: September 2025
Trudy Watson-Leung, Regulatory Toxicologist
This digest provides an overview of some of the latest regulatory news announcements of interest to the SETAC community. Please send your suggestions to [email protected].
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)
ECHA has published the updated proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the EU’s chemicals regulation, REACH. The update has been prepared by the authorities from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, who submitted the initial proposal in January 2023.
European Union (EU)/European Commission (EC)
EC’s labelling requirement for titanium oxide is invalidated. The Court of Justice of the European Union has upheld a 2022 judgment annulling the classification of titanium dioxide in certain powder forms as a suspected carcinogen.
EU adopts new polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) concentration limits. The next step is the publication of the formal revised regulation.
EC launched public consultation on CO2 emission standards from vehicles.
Ghana Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture
Ghana passed a new Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, a landmark legislation to protect artisanal fisheries as reported in Modern Ghana and summarized in Mongabay among other outlets reporting the news.
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
UNEP’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee was unable to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.
UNEP, working jointly with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), launched the Fortifying Infrastructure for Responsible Extinguishment (FIRE) project, which aims to phase out the use of toxic fluorinated firefighting foams and replace them with safer alternatives at major airports in Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
USEPA issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) to allow the burning of non-hazardous debris on a temporary basis during disasters and emergencies. Currently, only Other Solid Waste Incinerators are authorized to combust debris from a disaster or emergency on a temporary basis without having to comply with the Clean Air Act section 129 requirements.
USEPA is finalizing a rule to support essential industries by renewing limited, priority access to hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) for critical uses through 2030. Priority access is being provided for the following five applications: propellants in metered dose inhalers (MDIs), certain foams for marine and trailer uses, etching of semiconductor material or wafers and the cleaning of chemical vapor deposition chambers within the semiconductor manufacturing sector, mission-critical military end uses, and onboard aerospace fire suppression.
Contact: [email protected]