IC2 staff have made some needed repairs to the IC2 Chemicals Policy Database and begun updating it with chemicals policies enacted from 2015 to 2017. The Database covers 9 policy categories, 13 product types, and dozens of chemicals and includes policies enacted from 1957 to the present. For each policy listed, the Database provides a citation, brief description, the policy's category, the product types addressed by the policy, and, in most cases, an attached copy of the full text of the policy. In addition to state laws, the Database includes state-level executive orders and local (e.g., municipal) policies. IC2 staff welcome contributions of additional policies that should be included; contact Topher Buck.

 

On July 18, Beth Meer and John Vana of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) described their multifaceted work to "green" the state's procurement of goods and services. New York's recent efforts include procurement of furniture, food containers, batteries, disinfectants, and hand sanitizers. Beth and John discussed the process used to develop or revise procurement specifications (including stakeholder engagement and collaboration with other states), issues that arose during the process, and how the issues were resolved. On October 3, the leaders of two of the IC2's newest member organizations (Lauren Heine, Executive Director of Northwest Green Chemistry, and Dianne Barton, Chair of the National Tribal Toxics Council) described their organizations and work to reduce human and environmental exposures to toxic chemicals. The presentations were followed by an engaging Q&A session.

 

On October 24, Zack Leimkuehler of Expera Specialty Solutions described the paper-making process generally and some of the sustainability issues and trade-offs paper makers face as they develop new products, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS)-free, unbleached, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified, and post-consumer recycled fiber. Zack also discussed the differences between molded fiber products and paper products, as well as the links in the supply chain from material sourcing to finished consumer product. 

 

For information on upcoming webinars, visit http://theic2.org/events. IC2 webinars are a members-only benefit. For more information, contact Topher Buck.

The IC2 recently added a new GreenScreen for medetomidine to the Chemical Hazard Assessment Database. Medetomidine is used as an antifouling agent in boat-bottom paints (as well as in veterinary medicine for its analgesic and sedative properties). The IC2 thanks Northwest Green Chemistry for making this GreenScreen available.

TURI created the original Pollution Prevention Options Assessment System (P2OASys) in the mid-1990s to analyze chemical and equipment alternatives. P2OASys is one of the first hazard-analysis tools to help small and mid-size businesses compare several chemicals and hazards. TURI recently updated this tool and will be launching the new, web-based version in November. On Tuesday, October 31, Dr. Jason Marshall, Director of the TURI Cleaning Laboratory, will provide an overview of the benefits of using P2OASys and a primer on its use. Jason will also describe how P2OASys compares with other chemical hazard assessment tools, such as GreenScreen and QCA T. Register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7794218412698236929.

 

Cleaning Product Right to Know Act of 2017

On October 15, California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB-258, the Cleaning Product Right to Know Act of 2017. The new law requires manufacturers of cleaning products sold in California to disclose all ingredients on product websites and labels. Online disclosure is required as of January 1, 2020, and product label disclosure is required as of January 1, 2021. The law requires manufacturers to disclose on product websites:

• All "intentionally added" ingredients
• All "nonfunctional constituents" present at or above 0.01% (100 parts per million)
• The Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number (CASRN) for all listed chemicals
• The function of each intentionally added ingredient
• Hyperlinks to government information websites for listed chemicals
• A hyperlink to the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for each cleaning product

Warning: Avoid Children's Products Containing Flame Retardant Chemicals

The Connecticut Departments of Consumer Protection (DCP), Public Health (DPH), and Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) recently warned parents and others purchasing children's products to avoid any product containing one of three flame retardant chemicals that the U.S. EPA and state agencies have identified as highly toxic. The three flame retardants  of high concern are

• Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP)
• Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP)
• Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD)

This warning is part of an increased effort on the part of these three state agencies to educate the public on toxic chemicals found in children's products. More detailed information can be found here.

Ban on the Sale of Furniture Treated with Flame Retardants

Earlier this month, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed legislation that bans the sale of upholstered furniture and certain children's products containing any flame retardant chemicals. The ordinance covers both brick-and-mortar retail and online sales into the City beginning January 1, 2019. When the State of California updated Technical Bulletin 117 in 2013, it exempted certain children's products, such as high chairs, bassinets, and nursing pillows, and updated the flammability standard from an open flame test to a smolder test. Manufacturers of upholstered furniture can meet the updated standard without flame retardant chemicals. Even though they were no longer necessary, testing revealed that about 25-30 percent of the furniture and children's products still contained flame retardant chemicals. San Francisco's legislation seeks to close this gap and shift the market away from these harmful chemicals.

Maine and Rhode Island approved bans on the sale of upholstered furniture containing flame retardants earlier this year.

In addition to the flame retardants ban, San Francisco recently passed legislation requiring large chain grocers to disclose the use of antibiotics in the meat products they sell.

 

Children's Safe Products Reporting Rule Update

• Added 20 chemicals to the list of CHCCs based on new scientific data
• Removed 3 chemicals from the list of CHCCs based on revised scientific data
• Changed a group of nonylphenols CHCCs into three individual listing
• Set an annual reporting date of January 31, which is more consistent with reporting in Oregon
• Made other minor amendments that include:
  • Updated the reporting schedule to remove obsolete phase-in requirements
  • Used the term "de minimis" to refer to existing minimum chemical reporting levels
  • Clarified that resubmission of identical annual data (copy and paste) is sufficient, instead of a letter to Ecology confirming no changes from the previous annual report
  • Updated chemical names to be consistent with terminology in the product testing database

• Manufacturers must report the presence of 85 CHCCs in their children's products by January 31, 2019.
• Ecology will host webinars and provide technical assistance for manufacturers, retailers, and related associations.
• Ecology will post webinar announcements to its listerv.
• Ecology will update the list of CHCCs in its manufacturer reporting database by October 31.

The Rule Adoption Notice contains additional details.

 

 

Flame Retardant Restrictions

New CSPA flame retardant restrictions went into effect on July 1, 2017. The use of the following five flame retardant chemicals is restricted in children's products and residential upholstered furniture ( RCW 70.240.025):

• Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate (TDCPP)
• Tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphate (TCEP)
• Decabromodiphenyl ether (DecaBDE)
• Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD)
• Additive Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA)

These flame retardants cannot exceed concentrations of 1,000 parts per million. The flame retardant restrictions apply to residential upholstered furniture or children's products for sale in Washington, including online or in brick and mortar stores. This affects:

• Manufacturers
• Wholesalers
• Retailers
• Importers
• Domestic distributors

For more information, visit http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/hwtr/rtt/cspa/FlameRetardantFAQ.html. 

Earlier this month, Costco Wholesale announced a collaborative partnership with the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley. This partnership will assist Costco in the continued development of its strategic plan for managing chemicals of concern within the Costco supply chain.

In late September, Walmart announced an update to its Sustainable Chemistry Policy on Consumables, which, the company claims, has already resulted in an approximately 95 percent reduction in the weight of High Priority Chemicals from certain products sold in the U.S. Under the revised policy, Walmart commits to further reductions totaling 10 percent-approximately 55 million pounds-of priority chemicals. The goal applies to chemicals defined by the Walmart Priority Chemicals List in its revised commitment. For more information, visit the Walmart Sustainability Hub.

On October 4th, Northwest Green Chemistry announced the public release of the Washington State Antifouling Boat Paint Alternatives Assessment (AA) Report. This report was based on the Washington State Alternatives Assessment Guide for Small and Medium Businesses, a subset of the IC2 Alternatives Assessment Guide.

As reported in a new study ( TV Reality: Toxic Flame Retardants in TVs), IC2 Supporting Member Clean Production Action (CPA) and Toxic-Free Future tested 12 televisions purchased in Washington State for 7 flame retardants. This testing found that:

 

 

The EPA held its last Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) Inorganic Byproducts Negotiated Rulemaking meeting on September 14, 2017. The Committee decided to end negotiations because members recognized that they would not be able to reach consensus on any of the options discussed. EPA noted that, even without reaching consensus, the exchange of information in the Committee was extremely valuable and will be used to inform future actions. All information is available on the Byproducts Committee web page and in the docket ( EPA-HQ-OPPT-2016-0597 ).

On September 12, 2017, EPA, in collaboration with the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy, held a public workshop in Boston, MA on the use of the paint remover methylene chloride in furniture refinishing. This workshop helped to inform EPA's understanding of the use of methylene chloride in furniture refinishing.

 

Federal and state governments, industry professionals, furniture refinishing experts, non-government organizations, and academic experts, among others discussed the role of methylene chloride in furniture refinishing, potential alternatives, economic impacts, and other issues identified in EPA's January 2017 proposed rule on methylene chloride, which deferred action on the use of methylene chloride in commercial furniture refinishing. This information will help EPA to better understand current work practices and obtain additional information on the economic considerations involved in selecting chemical products for paint and coating removal in the furniture refinishing sector. The meeting included an exchange of information on existing use practices and furniture refinishers' experience, in general, with paint removal products and methods.

EPA issued guidance materials for the recently-issued TSCA section 8(a) Nanotechnology Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements Rule, which became effective on August 14, 2017. This rule establishes one-time reporting and recordkeeping requirements for certain chemical substances when they are manufactured or processed at the nanoscale as described in the rule issued January 12, 2017.

In June, EPA announced that it had completed the following implementation activities under the Frank Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act:

• Finalized a rule to establish EPA's process and criteria for identifying high priority chemicals for risk evaluation and low priority chemicals for which risk evaluation is not needed. For more information, visit: http://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/prioritizing-existing-chemicals-risk-evaluation.
• Finalized a rule to establish EPA's process for evaluating high priority chemicals to determine whether or not they present an unreasonable risk to health or the environment. In response to public comments, this final rule defines scientific terms. The final rule clarifies EPA's authority to determine what uses of a chemical are appropriate for risk evaluation, ensuring that the Agency's resources are focused on those uses that may pose the greatest risk. For more information, visit: https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/risk-evaluations-chemicals-under-tsca.
• Finalized a rule to require industry reporting of chemicals manufactured or processed in the U.S. over the past 10 years. This reporting will be used to identify which chemical substances on the TSCA Inventory are active in U.S. commerce and will help inform the chemicals EPA prioritizes for risk evaluation. For more information, visit: https://www.epa.gov/tsca-inventory/tsca-inventory-notification-active-inactive-rule.
• Released scoping documents for the initial 10 chemicals for risk evaluation under the amended law. These documents identify what uses of the chemicals will be evaluated and how the evaluation will be conducted. For more information, visit: https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/risk-evaluations-chemicals-under-tsca#ten.
• Released guidance for external parties interested in submitting draft risk evaluations to the EPA for consideration. For more information, visit: https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/guidance-assist-interested-persons-developing-and.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) recently voted to ban organohalogenated flame retardants in several consumer product categories. The CSPA granted a petition from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) prohibiting their use in children's products, upholstered residential furniture, mattresses, and the external casings on electronics.

The Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse (IC2) is an association of state, local, and tribal governments that promotes a clean environment, healthy communities, and a vital economy through the development and use of safer chemicals and products.
The purpose of the IC2 e-Bulletin is to inform IC2 members and others of the activities of the Clearinghouse, its members, and related national and international programs. It is published approximately three times per year and is provided free. Funding for the e-Bulletin is provided by the IC2 membership. Previous issues are available.

The IC2 is a program of the Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association (NEWMOA). NEWMOA provides management and staff support for IC2 and serves as its fiscal agent.

Members

Supporting Members

The IC2 invites businesses, non-governmental organizations, academic researchers, consultants, and others to join the Clearinghouse. Supporting Members sign a Memorandum of Agreement demonstrating support for the principles of the Clearinghouse and provide annual dues to help fund baseline activities. All IC2 Supporting Members are eligible to participate in the IC2 Council, in IC2 Workgroups, and in webinars.

For more information, contact Topher Buck, (617) 367-8558 x309.

If you work for an IC2 Member or Supporting Member, consider becoming active in one of the four IC2 Workgroups. These provide a great opportunity to work on critical projects and to collaborate with others that are insightful and dedicated to improving public health and the environment through the development and use of safer chemicals and products.

Alternatives Assessment Workgroup
The IC2 Alternatives Assessment Workgroup supports state and local development of alternatives assessment (AA) methods, coordinates with other organizations involved in AA activities, and makes resources, common protocols, and results available to the IC2 membership.

Database Workgroup
The IC2 Database Workgroup assesses the chemical data needs and priorities of the IC2 membership and develops IC2 data and information systems to address those priorities. The Workgroup has reviewed a variety of chemicals databases and has developed several online systems.

Governance, Outreach, & Recruitment Workgroup
The IC2 Governance, Outreach, and Recruitment Workgroup maintains the Clearinghouse's governance framework, including membership criteria, member contributions, Board structure, and overall goals and objectives. The Workgroup also leads member recruitment and outreach efforts.

Training Workgroup
The IC2 Training Workgroup plans informational and technical training sessions for the IC2 members. These trainings, in conference call and webinar formats, are presented approximately four times per year.

If you are interested in any of these groups, visit the IC2 website or write to Topher Buck.