EPA Webinars - Free

See the information below for EPA's webinar schedule and past webinars.

Upcoming Webinars

Webinars listed on the following link are hosted or sponsored by EPA on topics relating to environmental protection, regulations, and sustainability. All webinars are free and open to everyone.

EPA UPCOMING WEBINAR LINK

Free CDR Electronic Reporting Webinar

EPA presented a webinar on the use of the CDR electronic reporting tool on May 8, 2012. The webinar was a reminder on how to access the eCDRweb application and a walk-through of the application tool itself. Time was allotted for questions related to the reporting tool. Questions related to specific reporting requirements were not covered during the webinar.

The slides are available HERE.

The audio is available HERE.

Required TSCA CDR Rule Starts

Important: Wednesday February 1st starts TSCA's Chemical Data Reporting Rule (CDR). The Form U submission deadline is June 30th 2012.
Inventory Update Reporting (IUR) Rule Changed to the Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) Rule.

Do you need help with the CDR reporting process? Do you have to report under the CDR? Are you confused about the CDR process? 

Contact me (ccalvert@fando.com) for help!

If you manufactured, imported, generated as a byproduct, or produced a chemical substance for commercial purposes in quantities greater than 25,000 lbs during the calendar year of 2011 you may be required to report under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) Rule. The CDR replaces the Inventory Update Reporting (IUR) Rule that was used for prior reporting years. (details below)

SNURs for 17 Chemicals & Carbon Nanotubes

EPA is proposing significant new use rules (SNURs) under section 5(a)(2) of TSCA for rutile, tin zinc, calcium-doped and rutile, tin zinc, sodium-doped, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The proposed SNURs would designate as a significant new use the absence of the protective measures required in EPA issued consent orders.

Substances Subject to Proposed Rule EPA is proposing to establish significant new use and recordkeeping requirements for 17 chemical substances in 40 CFR part 721, subpart E.

Lautenberg TSCA Reform Interview

Despite two hearings, several private stakeholders meetings and plenty of bluster, the effort to reform how chemicals are regulated remains largely where it was a year ago as Congress prepares to conclude its work for 2011. To be sure, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and his staff have worked tirelessly to attract industry and Republican support for his "Safe Chemicals Act" (S. 847), which would reform the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). But after a fiery recent hearing, industry appears hesitant to lend its support and it looks as if Lautenberg won't meet his goal of holding a markup on the bill before the end of the year.

Legislative Hearing on TSCA Reform

Full and Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health joint hearing entitled, "Legislative Hearing on the Safe Chemicals Act." 

   Thursday, November 17, 2011 10:00 AM
   EST EPW Hearing Room - 406 Dirksen

Nanoparticles a Risk in Food?

A new study reveals that nanoparticles are being used in everything from beer to baby drinks despite a lack of safety information

Plastic imbued with clay nanoparticles helps make Miller Brewing Co. beer bottles less likely to break as well as improves how long the brew lasts in storage. Simply H's Toddler Health nutritional drink mix includes 300-nanometer (300 billionths of a meter) iron particles. And a wide range of cooking and cleaning items now employ nanosize silver particles to kill microbes.

Continued EPA Transparency: Confidentiality Removed for 150+ Chemicals

WASHINGTON – In order to ensure the public has as much information as possible about the health and the environmental impacts of chemicals, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has made public the identities of more than 150 chemicals contained in 104 health and safety studies that had been claimed confidential by industry. Today’s announcement is another in a series of unprecedented actions that EPA is taking to provide the public with greater access to information on the chemicals that are manufactured and used in the United States.

New Nano Titanium Dioxide Exposure Limit - NIOSH

A recently released NIOSH guidance document (NIOSH, 2011) on handling titanium dioxide (TiO2) powders in the workplace generated a high level of interest as it put forward an innovative approach that might have implications beyond TiO2. Specifically it may be the first document to recommend separate occupational exposure limits for the same material based on particle size.

2011 Inventory Update Rule (IUR) Update-SUSPENDED

EPA Promises Industry 'Adequate' Time To Report Chemical Volume Data

BALTIMORE – A top EPA toxics office official says the agency will provide the chemical industry with “adequate” time to comply with the agency's expanded new chemical production and use reporting rules, though the official stopped short of saying how much time industry will have to comply with the upcoming Inventory Update Rule (IUR).

Nano Educational Series Podcasts

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has developed a series of nanotechnology related educational podcasts. These podcasts are meant to improve technical literacy and provide information that will assist your career planning and skills development. While none of them cover TSCA, the general information should be useful to those dealing with TSCA and nano issues.

Nanomaterial Aquatic Toxicity Tests

Craig A. Calvert, Ph.D., C-CHO

Fuss & O'Neill EnviroScience

February 2011

In recent years the use of nanotechnology through the development of nanomaterials has increased rapidly. A graph of the number of papers published with nano used in the title is given below to illustrate the rapid growth from minimal pre-1990 level to a peak in 2009. The slight dip is likely due to the economic downturn. The increased use of the materials has sparked many debates over the toxicity of nanomaterials. Since size plays a large role in reactivity, groups are debating the need for regulating nanomaterials. The most likely regulation to oversee nanomaterials is EPA’s Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA). TSCA regulates materials based on composition, and since most nanomaterials are the same composition as the bulk material, there was no immediate regulatory requirement. However, EPA has clarified that nanomaterials must follow TSCA testing requirements and reporting in Section 4 and 8. On September 17, 2010, EPA issued a significant new use rule (SNUR) notice under TSCA for single and multi-walled carbon nanotubes that are used in applications such as advanced composites, fuel cells, and electronics. www.tscaconsulting.blogspot.com/2010/09/epa-issues-final-snurs-for-carbon.html Because of the TSCA reporting requirements and the potential for increased reactivity, toxicity testing of nanomaterials is important in understanding the potential risks posed by these materials.

National Nanotechnology Initiative's Strategic Plan

The National Nanotechnology Initiative's (NNI) Strategic plan does not include any specifics on regulation of nanomaterials; however, it does mention a NNI Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Strategy that is due in "early 2011." This combined with the information gathered in the strategic plan will likely play a large role in the determining how nanomaterials are regulated. The full announcement is below along with a link to the pdf version of complete plan.

Nanomaterial Risk Analysis - Free Access

The Journal of Risk Analysis has dedicated a full issue to the topic of risk analysis of nanomaterials. I have not read the full issue, but from what I have looked over, there is a lot of interesting information. Below is a link to the online version of the journal. As of today (December 15th) you can view all the articles online for FREE.

Risk Analysis, November 2010, Volume 30, Issue 11.
© Society for Risk Analysis

Nanomaterial Case Studies and Workshop on Nanoscale Silver - EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in a December 13, 2010, Federal Register notice that it will hold a public information exchange meeting to receive comments and questions on the Nanomaterial Case Studies on January 4, 2011, in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. According to EPA, the meeting will provide it an opportunity to highlight the Nanomaterial Case Studies and how EPA is using the studies as part of an ongoing process to refine a long-term research strategy to support the comprehensive environmental assessment of nanomaterials.

Nanotechnology: A Dead End for Plant Cells?

New Study Examines Nanoparticles’ Effects on Plants

Using particles that are 1/100,000 the width of a human hair to deliver drugs to cells or assist plants in fighting off pests may sound like something out of a science fiction movie, but these scenarios may be a common occurrence in the near future.

Carbon nanotubes, cylindrically shaped carbon molecules with a diameter of about 1 nanometer, have many potential applications in a variety of fields, such as biomedical engineering and medical chemistry. Proteins, nucleic acids, and drugs can be attached to these nanotubes and delivered to cells and organs. Carbon nanotubes can be used to recognize and fight viruses and other pathogens. However, results of studies in animals have also raised concerns about the potential toxicity of nanoparticles.

Characterization Necessary for Nanotoxicity?

The article referenced below points out the importance of material characterization as part of the process to determine nanotoxicity. The properties that are important are:

• Particle size and size distribution (wet state) and surface area (dry state) in the relevant media being utilized—depending upon the route of exposure
• Crystal structure/crystallinity
• Aggregation status in the relevant media
• Composition/surface coatings
• Surface reactivity
• Method of nanomaterial synthesis and/or preparation including postsynthetic modifications
• Purity of sample

The absence of such data would result in misleading information, as chemical composition or chemical formula alone is not sufficient. TSCA does not currently make such a distinction, so any changes to the regulation must take this into consideration. Please read the entire article for a more detail discussion.

EPA Issues Final SNURs for Carbon Nanotubes

EPA is issuing significant new use rules (SNURs) under section 5(a)(2) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for two chemical substances which were the subject of Premanufacture Notices (PMNs). The two chemical substances are identified generically as multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) (PMN P–08–177) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) (PMN P–08–328).

This action requires persons who intend to manufacture, import, or process either of these two chemical

Nano Material Safety

These two articles discuss nano material safety.  Although not directly related to TSCA, which regulates materials before production, they are interesting to help put the nano material issue in perspective.

OTA Technology Guidance Document: Nanotechnology — Considerations for Safe Development

By: MA OTA

Nanomaterials Are Widely Used in Commerce, but EPA Faces Challenges in Regulating Risk

June 28, 2010  Companies around the world are currently harnessing the properties of nanomaterials for use in products across a number of sectors and are expected to continue to find new uses for these materials. GAO identified a variety of products that currently incorporate nanomaterials already available in commerce across the following eight sectors: automotive; defense and aerospace; electronics and computers; energy and environment; food and agriculture; housing and construction; medical and pharmaceutical; and personal care, cosmetics and other consumer products. Within each of these sectors, GAO also identified a wide variety of other uses that are currently under development and are expected to be available in the future.