On April 22, 2016, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added styrene to the Proposition 65 list of carcinogens. OEHHA maintains a list of chemicals required under Proposition 65 (formally, the California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act) that are “known to the state” to be reproductive toxicants or carcinogens based on
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today announced that it had obtained a record $15,450,000 settlement of civil penalty liability from three Gree Electric entities (Gree Electric Appliances, Inc., of Zhuhai; Hong Kong Gree Electric Appliances Sales Co., Ltd.; and Gree USA Sales, Ltd.) (collectively, Gree). (The settlement is provisional until after the public
For all of you who know the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), you know that the agency distinctly does not have authority over tobacco or tobacco products. This arguably wasn’t always the case. Early on, the American Public Health Association petitioned the CPSC to regulate cigarettes containing more than 21 mg of tar. When
Members of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are set to vote on a final rule to allow the staff not only to participate on the committees that develop voluntary standards, but to vote as members of the committees and even lead them (provided the Executive Director gives prior approval). If the Commission approves
The Vermont Department of Health won approval for its new, burdensome children’s product green chemistry reporting program from the state’s Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules on November 19, 2015. The final version of the Toxic Substances in Children’s Products Rule took effect on December 10, 2015, and follows from the state’s 2014 green chemistry bill,
The Vermont Department of Health has released the final proposed version of its Toxic Substances in Children’s Products Rule (although it is not yet available on the Department’s website) adopted under state’s 2014 green chemistry law, Act 188. The rule, largely unchanged from the proposal, is now scheduled to go before the state’s Legislative
Selling to consumers is generally a beneficial enterprise for all involved, but occasionally businesses will need to recall products, for a myriad of reasons. When that happens, different sets of rules apply depending on the type of product that is impacted. If your product falls under the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) jurisdiction, one
For everyone concerned about the expanding burden of green chemistry reporting, here’s something that will really make your hair – and bankbook – stand on end: Vermont is proposing to implement the green chemistry law adopted last year by mandating SKU-level reporting. Yes, you read that correctly. (Read the proposed rule here.) The impact
A California appeals court has affirmed a trial court ruling that averaging exposure to reproductive toxicants over a relevant “window of susceptibility” time period specific to the chemical, and across product lots, was appropriate in a Proposition 65 case involving lead in baby and toddler foods. Environmental Law Foundation v. Beech-Nut Corp., (A129831, Alameda County
For the consumer products industry, there is little question that state green chemistry laws are becoming increasingly complex and challenging. Laws are in place from California to Maine, and proposals are bubbling up around the country. States as diverse as Connecticut, New York, Florida, Oregon, and even Mississippi are considering their own green chemistry laws.
