CSPA, ACI Push for TSCA Modernization

CSPA, ACI Push for TSCA Modernization

• The Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA) testified before the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works and the Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health on Nov. 18, 2011.

The joint legislative hearing regarded Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s (D-NJ) Safe Chemicals Act (S. 847) that would modernize the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.

“We appreciate the leadership of the Committee for holding this important hearing on the modernization of TSCA,” said Chris Cathcart, CSPA president and CEO. “We thank Senators Lautenberg and Inhofe for hosting a series of stakeholder meetings this year that have served to motivate and expand the dialogue on whether and how TSCA should be changed.”

CSPA organized a Chemical Management Policy Team composed of member companies that has been working for more than three years to review key program issues to, first, understand their impacts on the industry, and, second, to develop recommendations on how TSCA might be modernized to better address critical concerns in these key areas.CSPA continues to engage in stakeholder dialogue to seek balance in the process that will work for industry in practice and in principle—to protect innovation and confidential business information while ensuring consumer confidence in chemical safety as it relates to public health and the environment.

“We will continue to work through details on challenging areas of TSCA modernization that most impact the downstream formulators,” Cathcart said.

“We have made significant progress in discussions with Safer Chemicals Healthy Families coalition and the Environmental Defense Fund on key TSCA issues related to protecting confidential business information and chemical exposure and use reporting and we look forward to our ongoing discussions to find areas where we can agree and make progress,” he added.

The American Cleaning Institute (ACI) agreed that there must be additional in-depth dialogue with Congress to appropriately modernize the TSCA. In a letter to Sen. Lautenberg and Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee), ACI president and CEO Ernie Rosenberg said improvements in the law should recognize changes in science and technology and advance innovation.

“The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) needs to take full advantage of information and data in chemical management programs undertaken by other nations,” wrote Rosenberg. “The Agency needs sufficient information to better inform Agency chemical management and assessment decisions.”

ACI remains concerned, though, that the whole of S. 847 would create high hurdles to American manufacturing, particularly when it comes to product and process innovations, and ACI suggests development of new legislation. This can occur through the stakeholder process, which has been valuable and constructive for ACI member companies, and the process should continue.

“ACI remains committed to a bipartisan, bicameral dialogue to fashion a reasonable approach to updating TSCA in order to promote the safe use of chemicals; build public confidence in the chemical management system; protect American jobs, and maintain the US global leadership role in chemical innovation,”concluded Rosenberg.

More info: www.cspa.org, www.cleaninginstitute.org

RIFM’s Smith To Retire

• Ladd Smith, the president of the Research Institute of Fragrance Materials (RIFM), has announced his retirement.

“I wish to thank Ladd for his 13 years of service to the industry,” said Sean G. Traynor, chairman, RIFM board of directors. “RIFM has experienced significant evolution during his tenure. The Board will now turn its attention to finding a successor, during which time Ladd will remain in his position and assist in the process.”

In other news, Dr. Anne Marie Api, vice president of human health science at RIFM, co-wrote with Dr. Matthias Vey, scientific director of the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) “Regulatory and safety aspects of natural fragrance ingredients,” Chapter 6, 89-106, in the new book, “Formulating, Packaging, and Marketing of Natural Cosmetic Products,” edited by Nava Dayan and Lambros Kromidas, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2011.

The chapter defines the role of natural ingredients in perfumery. It explains how natural fragrance ingredients are characterized and evaluated and the roles that RIFM and IFRA have in the evaluation process. The chapter also provides details on how natural fragrance ingredients are regulated in the framework of the IFRA Standards.

More info: www.rifm.org

CSPA To Update CleaningProducts Compendium

• The Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA) seeks comments on its updated cleaning product test methods and guidelines in an effort to update its Cleaning Products Compendium. The compendium is used by those engaged in the formulation, manufacture or marketing of cleaning products.

The updated test methods and guidelines are available for public review and can be obtained by contacting Tim Brown at [email protected]. The upcoming Compendium, to be published in electronic form on a compact disc in 2012, will be the latest update to the 4th edition published in 2006.

More info: www.cspa.org