Regulatory
REGULATORY NEWS FOR WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 16, 2020
Canadian Federal News
The Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Health (the ministers) have assessed information pertaining to the substance 1-propanaminium, 3-amino-N-(carboxymethyl)-N,N-dimethyl-, N-C8-18 acyl derivs., inner salts, Chemical Abstracts Service Registry No. 97862-59-4.
There is concern that significant new activities that have not been identified or assessed could lead to the substance hexanoic acid, 2-ethyl-, 2-ethylhexyl ester (also known as “2-ethylhexyl 2-ethylhexanoate”, CAS Registry No. 7425-14-1) meeting the criteria set out in section 64 of CEPA. The Government of Canada is proposing to amend the Domestic Substances List (DSL) to indicate that the Significant New Activity (SNAc) provisions under subsection 81(3) of CEPA will apply to this substance.
One of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) top priorities is to protect consumers by safeguarding Canada’s food supply. The Agency conducts sampling and testing to detect food safety risks and verifies that industry is meeting federal food safety requirements.
The Emergency Response Guidebook was developed by Transport Canada, the US Department of Transportation and the Secretariat of Transport and Communications of Mexico, with help from the Centro de Informaciòn Quìmica para Emergencias of Argentina.
The results of the premarket assessment support the safety of Spirulina extract for use as a colouring agent. Consequently, Health Canada has enabled the uses of Spirulina extract described in the information document below by modifying the List of Permitted Colouring Agents, effective September 4, 2020.
Canadian Provincial News
The Ontario government is launching an online survey that will help inform long-term transportation planning for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, and guide highway and transit investment from today to the year 2051.
US News
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a broad public engagement and outreach effort to discuss how the agency will approach the rulemaking process to address unreasonable risks found in the final Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) chemical risk evaluations. After issuing the first two final risk evaluations, methylene chloride and 1-bromopropane, EPA is moving into the risk management phase and is hosting a robust process to gain important feedback from stakeholders on the options for managing those risks.
OSHA has released work-related injury and illness data electronically submitted by employers for 2016, 2017 and 2018.
As required the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is providing notice of changes to the proposed regulatory action to amend Title 27, California Code of Regulations, sections 25602, 25607, 25607.1, and 25607.3, which originally was intended to clarify certain provisions of the regulations addressing consumer product exposure warnings, specific product, chemical and area exposure warnings, food exposure warnings, and alcoholic beverage exposure warnings.
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a new contractor report stemming from the 2017 fatal dust explosion at the Didion Milling facility in Cambria, Wisconsin. The document entitled, “Dust Hazard Learning Review” produced for the CSB by Dynamic Inquiry LLC, gathered feedback from industries that handle combustible dust to identify the key barriers to improvement in the control and mitigation of combustible dust hazards.
International News
The new recommendations were made today at the 16th meeting of the Rotterdam Convention’s Chemicals Review Committee (CRC), supported by the Convention Secretariat provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP), bringing together over 100 specialists from more than 50 countries. Decabromodiphenyl ether (DecaBDE) is an additive flame retardant applied to plastics, textiles and coatings and can be found in computers, TVs, wires and cables, pipes, carpets, automotive parts and aircraft. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds belong to a group of chemicals known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which comprises more than 4,000 chemicals.
Other Relevant Information
Safety Share
We appreciate the hard work of our “essential workers” including those that keep our supply chain moving, working in a warehouse environment. You keep us safe and healthy by ensuring we get the goods we need including food, medicine and other health related products. We invite you to connect with us virtually to share best practices to keep you safe during our current COVID19 pandemic. By attending this Safety Connection session, you will learn what similar warehouse workplaces are doing and having success with to protect their employees from potentially deadly viruses in the workplace.
September is a busy month with students returning to school. We urge you to consider the tips below to ensure that everyone gets back into the safety groove this fall.
- Be aware of crossing zones and crossing guards
- Be on the lookout for buses with their lights on
- Obey the speed limit in school zones
- Keep your cell phone out of reach so you can focus on the road
- Remember that nothing is more important than the lives of others and yourself – everything else can wait.
More back-to-school safety tips can be found on the Government of Canada website.
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