Regulatory
REGULATORY NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 13, 2024
Governments agreed to intersessional work to continue to make progress for alignment towards a final treaty text as they head towards INC-5 in Busan, Korea this November. The intersessional work will focus on finance and microplastics. Dave Saucier was a delegate to INC-4 representing the World Coatings Council on behalf of the Canadian Paint and Coatings Association. Much work is needed to clarify definitions and scope of microplastics to avoid unintended consequences. It should come as no surprise that each country has its own set of rules and regulations when it comes to importing goods and services. Understanding these requirements is crucial to avoid costly mistakes, both in time and resources, and ensure a smooth market entry and protection for your offerings. Pursuant to subsection 31(1) of the Special Import Measures Act, the Canada Border Services Agency initiated investigations on April 22, 2024, respecting the alleged injurious dumping and subsidizing of pea protein originating in or exported from China. Although piperazine is not considered to be harmful to human health or to the environment at current levels of exposure, this substance is associated with effects of concern. Therefore, there may be a concern if exposures were to increase. For this reason, the proposed follow-up activity is to apply the Significant New Activity (SNAc) provisions of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) to piperazine. This summary covers the ecological component of the performance measurement for inorganic cadmium compounds. The health component will be covered in a separate report. Considering all the information presented in this draft assessment, it is proposed to conclude that the 16 substances in the GOKUPAC Group meet the criteria under paragraph 64(c) of CEPA as they are entering the environment in a quantity or concentration or under conditions that constitute or may constitute a danger in Canada to human life or health. The Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is responsible for pesticide regulation in Canada. The public registry is where you can learn more about all pest control products registered for use in Canada.
The province of Alberta has updated its resource portal to include translated versions of 4 resources. The company was fined for contravening subsection 14-2 of the regulations (being an employer fail to ensure that any worker who is required or permitted to assemble, use, maintain or dismantle rigging is trained in safe rigging practices, resulting in the serious injury of a worker). Exercise Heatwave is part of the government’s multi-year Provincial Exercise Program to strengthen the province’s emergency plans and whole-of-government emergency response. The exercise will help enhance coordination and collaboration between government and non-governmental partners during future emergencies. Six municipalities will participate, including Guelph, Mississauga, Peterborough, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay and Toronto, along with three federal government departments and more than 50 non-governmental organizations. The Ontario government is proposing legislative changes that would make the hiring process fairer for jobseekers who are trying to get into the workforce and that would get tougher on exploitative employers by increasing maximum fines for violating the Employment Standards Act (ESA) to the highest level in Canada. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending the food additive regulations to update the production organism Corynebacterium lilium that has been scientifically reclassified to Corynebacterium glutamicum. This action is being taken to improve the accuracy and clarity of the regulations. DATES: This rule is effective April 29, 2024. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of a guidance for industry entitled “Revocation of Uses of Partially Hydrogenated Oils in Foods: Guidance for Industry; Small Entity Compliance Guide.” The small entity compliance guide (SECG) is intended to help small entities comply with our regulations after FDA revoked specific requirements pertaining to the use of partially hydrogenated oils in certain foods or as a direct or indirect food substance. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announces a virtual public meeting to engage stakeholders including motor carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, insurance companies, financial institutions, process agents, blanket companies, and third-party service providers to hear more on their perspectives on improving the registration experience with FMCSA. This is the second instance of FMCSA’s Registration Modernization Stakeholder Day; the first meeting was held in person at FMCSA headquarters on January 17, 2024. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is correcting a final rule that was published in the Federal Register on April 10, 2024. The final rule was published to maintain alignment with international regulations and standards by adopting various amendments, including changes to proper shipping names, hazard classes, packing groups, special provisions, packaging authorizations, air transport quantity limitations, and vessel stowage requirements. The corrections address several errors to the hazardous material entries in the hazardous materials table. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released comments from the letter peer review for its draft risk evaluation for the flame retardant Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP). EPA will use these comments to help inform the final risk evaluation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a ban on most uses of methylene chloride, a dangerous chemical known to cause liver cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, brain cancer, cancer of the blood, and cancer of the central nervous system, as well as neurotoxicity, liver harm and even death. The Department of Labor today announced strategic changes to the structure of its Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s regional operations designed to direct its resources effectively and make the agency more resilient. The Department of Labor has taken an important step in addressing the dangers of workplace heat and moved closer to publishing a proposed rule to reducing the significant health risks of heat exposure for U.S. workers in outdoor and indoor settings. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) proposes to adopt a Proposition 65 No Significant Risk Level (NSRL) for titanium dioxide (airborne, unbound particles of respirable size) by amending Title 27, California Code of Regulations, section 25705(c)(2). OEHHA must receive comments by June 24, 2024. The monograph on aspartame, the first monograph in IARC Monographs Volume 134: Aspartame, Methyleugenol, and Isoeugenol, is now available online. The publication of this monograph has been accelerated in response to public health demand. Publication of the full volume is expected in the coming months. The European Commission has requested ECHA to broaden the scope of the REACH restriction proposal to cover at least 12 chromium (VI) substances. Given the wider scope, the Agency will submit the restriction proposal by 11 April 2025, instead of the originally planned date of 4 October 2024. Safety Share Wearing well-fitting helmets and using the right gear when doing activities like biking can help prevent serious concussions. Research also shows that your kids are more likely to wear a helmet if you do! Keep you and your kids safe, as a concussion usually happens because of a hit to the head, neck, face or torso. Ticks are very small and hard to see. When found, it should be removed immediately using fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible without crushing it. Once you have removed a tick, wash your skin with soap and water and then disinfect your skin and your hands with rubbing alcohol or an iodine swab. Before disposing of the tick, call or check the website of your local public health unit to get advice on how to identify the tick. You can also submit a photo of the tick to etick.ca for identification. Have an event you would like to share? Please send details to [email protected]. The premier event of the agri-food industry will bring together over 21,000 industry professionals again this year. SIAL Canada 2024 promises to be even more captivating, with many new features and opportunities not to be missed! Concerned about the new regulations for the cosmetics and/or the pharmaceutical industries? Worried about the new mandatory MoCRA requirements? Want to learn best practices for clinical development programs? Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale Mississauga, Canada 9:00am -5:00pm ET. Collaborate and network with thousands of your colleagues, experts from several industries, and NFPA staff on life, fire, and electrical safety innovation at the 2024 NFPA Conference & Expo. ChemEdge is a conference and trade show tailored for the chemical distribution channel. It provides training and education on issues important to chemical distributors, manufacturers, warehouses and service support companies.Advocacy
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