posted on June 13, 2013
California officials have expressed concerns over some provisions of the proposed Chemical Safety Improvement Act (CSIA), which was introduced last month in Congress as a series of reforms to the Toxic Substances Control Act. A representative of California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) stated these concerns in a letter to the Office of California Senator Dianne Feinstein.
The main area of concern, according to the letter, is the expanded authority that the U.S.... full text
posted on June 10, 2013
Russell Brimer, Peter Englander, Whitney Leeman 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, paint mixer, hand tools, and kitchen tools 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... full text
posted on June 7, 2013
Members of the staff of California Governor Edmund G. (“Jerry”) Brown, Jr. today hosted the third in a series of meetings with stakeholders to discuss the Governor’s proposed reforms to Proposition 65. The topic for today’s meeting was revising the lawsuit provisions of Proposition 65, which are codified in California Health and Safety Code section 25249.7. The stakeholders include state agencies, such as the California Attorney General’s Office;... full text
posted on June 5, 2013
U.S. Senators David Bitter (R-La) and the late Frank R. Lautenberg* (D-NJ) last month proposed new legislation that, if enacted, would modernize the 1976 Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). The proposed Chemical Safety Improvement Act of 2013 would ensure that all chemicals registered in the United States and all newly created chemicals are screened for safety to the environment and the public health, while also maintaining the conditions that foster financial growth, innovation, and job... full text
posted on June 3, 2013
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week proposed two rules to help protect Americans from exposure to the harmful chemical formaldehyde.
Formaldehyde is commonly known as a preservative for scientific specimens, but it has a wide variety of other uses, including in adhesives and resins for composite wood products—such as hardwood plywood, particleboard, and medium-density fiberboard—from which formaldehyde may escape. The released formaldehyde may be... full text
posted on May 31, 2013
Recently, chemicals intended to prevent fires such as brominated flame retardants (PBDEs and others) and chlorinated Tris (TDCPP, TCEP, and others) have been shown to cause cancer, disrupt human thyroid function, and pose other potential health hazards. These chemicals are commonly present in furniture and electronics in order to meet fire safety laws. However, when these chemicals are used, they are not sealed within the products, and can easily escape into household dust, to be inhaled... full text
posted on May 31, 2013
Whitney Leeman and Laurence Vinocur--clients of The Chanler Group--served ten 60-Day Notices of Proposition 65 Violation today. The notices were served to companies offering products such as furniture, greeting cards, medical instrument cases, and hand tools 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
posted on May 29, 2013
Assembly Bill 227, an amendment to California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (commonly known as Proposition 65), was passed by the California Assembly last Friday and is now headed for the California Senate. If the bill passes the Senate and Governor Edmund G. (“Jerry”) Brown signs it, it will become law. The bill was introduced by Assembly member Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) in February 2013.
Proposition 65 requires companies that offer... full text
posted on May 28, 2013
Earlier this month, Environmental Health Perspectives, a National Institutes of Health journal, reported on two studies showing that exposure to the carcinogenic flame retardant TDCPP, commonly referred to as chlorinated tris, may be widespread.
TDCPP is a flame retardant widely used in polyurethane foam padding in furniture and automobiles. A recent survey found that TDCPP was present in many U.S. couches, and it was the most frequent flame retardant found in a survey of 101 foam padded... full text
posted on May 24, 2013
Effective May 24, 2013, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has designated clomiphene citrate a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer. Companies offering products for sale in California that expose consumers to clomiphene citrate will first have to provide health hazard warnings. Businesses have one year from the date of listing as a carcinogen to comply with the regulation.
Clomiphene citrate, also known as clomifene, is a... full text
