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AUSTRALIA NICNAS Releases Second Batch Of IMAP Assessments: The National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) began a public comment period on the assessment outcomes of the second batch Inventory Multi-tiered Assessment and Prioritization (IMAP) assessments. NICNAS released the following information: NICNAS states that comments provided should be evidence-based and highlight the relevance of submitted information. Comments are due May 7, 2013. More...
CHINA China Publishes Catalogue Of Substitutes For Hazardous Substances: On January 14, 2013, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) published a catalogue of information on possible alternatives to 81 hazardous substances, including heavy metals, organic pollutants, and pesticides. The catalogue includes three sections, based on stage of substitution: development of alternatives; application; and promotion. More information is available, in Chinese, online. China...
OECD Updates Environmental Risk Assessment Toolkit: The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced on December 12, 2012, that it updated its environmental risk assessment toolkit. According to OECD, the toolkit provides practical tools for the environmental risk assessment of chemicals. The toolkit describes the general process of environmental risk assessment and provides examples of risk assessment. The toolkit also provides links to relevant tools developed by...
OECD Announces Improved Tool To Predict Hazards Of Chemicals: On November 5, 2011, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced the availability of Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSAR) Toolbox (03), which includes new features and additional data sources; facilitates prediction accounting for metabolism; provides possibilities for predicting the hazard for mixtures; and possesses a more advanced search and reporting engine to handle single...
CHILE Chile Invites Pesticide Registration Applicants To Apply Online: The Department of Environmental Health invited pesticide registration applicants to begin the registration process by applying for authorization online. The Department made public its electronic records for disinfectant products since September 2010, so that registration applicants could see what data the Department already has. More information is available, in Spanish, online. EUROPEAN UNION (EU) ECHA Begins...
AUSTRALIA Australia Amends ICNA Regulations: The National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme’s (NICNAS) July 2012 Chemical Gazette includes a notice regarding amendments to the Industrial Chemicals (Notification and Assessment) (ICNA) Act and regulations arising from changes to the Work Health and Safety Legislation. The Governor-General approved the amendments to the ICNA r egulations on May 24, 2012, and they include: The notice states that NICNAS will...
AUSTRALIA Australia Announces 3,000 Chemicals To Be Assessed In IMAP Framework: On June 15, 2012, the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) announced the 3,000 existing chemicals that it will assess through its new Inventory Multi-tiered Assessment and Prioritization (IMAP) framework. NICNAS has designated the chemicals in the first group to be assessed as “Stage One chemicals.” NICNAS identified the Stage One chemicals based on...
OECD Publishes Proposal For Harmonized List Of PRTR Pollutants: On April 12, 2012, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced the availability of the Global Pollutant Release and Transfer Register, Proposal for a Harmonized List of Pollutants, which outlines the results of the work of the OECD Task Force on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR). In 2009, the Task Force noted that while there are 1,200 chemicals in the PRTR data center, only 14...
OECD Announces Availability Of Modified Environmental Risk Assessment Toolkit: The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Environmental Risk Assessment Toolkit describes the work flow for environmental risk assessment and management of chemicals with links to available OECD material relevant for the different steps in risk assessment and management. OECD announced on March 19, 2012, that it has revised the Toolkit to include resources other than OECD products, and to...
AUSTRALIA GHS Regulations Enter Into Force — On January 1, 2012, the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations in 2012 entered into force. The WHS Regulations, which create a new system of chemical classification and hazard communication on labels and safety data sheets (SDS) based on the third revised edition of the United Nations (UN) Globally Harmonized System of Chemical Classification and Labeling (GHS), will be mandatory from January 1, 2017, allowing for a five-year...
OECD Publishes Schedule Of Chemicals Assessments: The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced on December 12, 2011, the availability of a webpage created on eChemPortal that provides links to existing scheduling information of national/regional and international assessments notified to the OECD by OECD member countries and stakeholders. OECD states that the links are provided “with the aim to assist in avoiding duplication across national/regional...
CHINA MEP Publishes Draft Guidelines For Risk Assessment And Hazard Identification Under China REACH: The Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) recently published draft guidelines concerning the risk assessment of chemicals and hazard identification of new chemical substances. The draft guidelines are intended to provide guidance on the hazard identification methods and categorization of environmental management under China Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of...
ARGENTINA Argentina Issues Regulation Concerning Registration Of Fertilizers: On June 7, 2011, Argentina’s Servicio Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria/National Service of Agri-Food Health and Quality (SENASA) issued Regulation 359, the “Regulation on the Registration of Fertilizers, Substrates, Conditioners, Protectors and their Raw Materials.” The Regulation was published in the Boletin Oficial de la Republica Argentina on June 10, 2011. Regulation...
BRAZIL Brazil Revised Standard Requires Chemicals Be Classified And Labeled: The May 24, 2011, revised edition of Brazil’s Health and Safety Labor Standard includes provisions requiring that chemicals in the workplace be classified and labeled. The Standard also requires that safety data sheets (SDS) be prepared in accordance with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) provisions in Brazil’s Technical Standard NRB 14725. Technical...
CANADA Canada Announces Updated Draft Screening Assessment Of Substances Of Low Concern: On June 18, 2011, Canada published the updated draft screening assessment of substances of low concern using the rapid screening approach in the Canada Gazette. After evaluating 1,047 substances of low concern using the rapid screening approach, Canada proposes that, based on available information, 545 of the substances do not meet the criteria set out under Section 64 of the Canadian Environmental...
ARGENTINA Argentina’s Senate Passes WEEE/RoHS Law: Argentina’s Senate passed on May 4, 2011, the draft Law on Minimum Standards for Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (934/2010), which includes restrictions similar to those in the European Union (EU) Restrictions of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive. The bill’s scope closely follows the ten broad product categories listed in Annex 1A of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive...
CHINA China Issues Fines For Non-Compliance With Requirements For Notification Of New Substances: China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) announced on February 9, 2011, that it fined six companies belonging to a U.S.-based corporation Yuan 30,000 (€3,300) for allegedly failing to provide ecotoxicological test reports by an MEP-approved laboratory. Beginning in October 2010, companies wishing to manufacture or import a new substance in China must comply with a new...