posted on August 27, 2013
The Chanler Group has received certification, required by the settlement agreement with TCG client Russell Brimer, that Wolters Kluwer’s vinyl and PVC notebooks offered for sale in California have been reformulated to contain less than 0.1% of DEHP. As a result, the final civil penalty of $15,000, which Wolters Kluwer agreed to in the settlement, will be waived. The penalty waiver provision of the settlement provided an incentive for Wolters Kluwer to promptly reformulate... full text
posted on August 22, 2013
Though Coca-Cola has reformulated its products both within and without California to no longer contain the cancer-causing chemical 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI), Pepsi products purchased outside of California still contain 4-MEI, the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) announced earlier this month.
Last March, both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo stated they would change their caramel coloring in products nationwide as a result of Proposition 65, which requires companies offering products for sale in... full text
posted on August 19, 2013
Anthony Held, John Moore, and Laurence Vinocur--clients of The Chanler Group--served eleven 60-Day Notices of Proposition 65 Violation last week. The notices were served to companies offering products such as furniture, hand tools, and gloves for sale in California containing chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm, without the required health hazard warning. TCG's citizen enforcers allege that the companies' products contain the phthalate DEHP, the flame... full text
posted on August 16, 2013
Dr. Whitney Leeman, a client of The Chanler Group, and Farmer Bros., a food service company, reached a settlement yesterday resolving Leeman’s allegations that Farmer Bros. violated Proposition 65 by offering for sale food extracts, flavorings, and colorings containing the chemical 4-MEI in California without the required health hazard warning. California has designated 4-MEI a chemical known to cause cancer, and under Proposition 65, companies offering for sale products containing... full text
posted on August 14, 2013
The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing earlier this month titled “Strengthening Public Health Protections by Addressing Toxic Chemical Threats,” with witnesses presenting testimony for and against the Chemical Safety Improvement Act (CSIA). The bulk of the hearing was taken up by concerns about preemption of state law, as well as a lack of deadlines set forth in the CSIA.
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), the chair of the committee, said that she... full text
posted on August 1, 2013
California Attorney General Kamala Harris and Attorneys General from eight other states sent a letter to Congress earlier this week to voice their opposition to the proposed Chemical Safety Improvement Act (CSIA), or S.1009, in its current form. The CSIA was proposed last month as an amendment to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
The Attorneys General wrote to express their “deep concerns” about the “unduly broad preemption language” in the CSIA, which they... full text
posted on July 29, 2013
California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has added emissions from the combustion of coal to the list of chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, effective August 7, 2013.
This designation is based on formal identification by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is an authoritative body under OEHHA’s regulations. OEHHA has authority to designate chemicals as known carcinogens or reproductive toxicants... full text
posted on July 26, 2013
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has added more than 130 chemicals to its Safer Chemical Ingredients List, many of which are fragrances for commercial and consumer cleaning products.
The Safer Chemical Ingredients List was created in September 2012 as a resource for: manufacturers interested in making safer products; advocates seeking to encourage the manufacture and use of safer products; and consumers seeking to purchase or use safer products. It also serves as a guide for... full text
posted on July 25, 2013
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking input to a federal panel that will explore changes to existing uses of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCBs are used in fluid-filled capacitors and transformers, fluorescent light ballasts, and natural gas pipelines. They are a known carcinogen and reproductive toxicant, as well as an environmental pollutant.
PCBs were once widely used as coolants and insulating fluids, plasticizers in paints and cements, stabilizers in PVC... full text
posted on July 24, 2013
Peter Englander, Anthony Held, and Laurence Vinocur--clients of The Chanler Group--served eleven 60-Day Notices of Proposition 65 Violation today. The notices were served to companies offering products such as furniture, hand tools, and automotive accessories for sale in California containing chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm, without the required health hazard warning. TCG's citizen enforcers allege that the companies' products contain the phthalate DEHP... full text
