Chemical Engineering Trends, Intellectual Property Litigation, & Industry Predictions – IMS Insights Podcast Episode 50
What to Expect in Chemicals Policy and Regulation and on Capitol Hill in 2023
PFAS are a chemically diverse family of over 10,000 synthetic fluorinated compounds, all containing at least one carbon-fluorine (C–F) bond. This makes them highly persistent and earns them the nickname "forever chemicals."...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on July 28, 2025, the release of a memorandum with additional context on occupational exposure data for di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). According to EPA, the...more
As reported in our May 14, 2025, blog item, on May 12, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) denied a petition filed under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) seeking to prohibit the use of...more
A recent study published in Nature Microbiology by researchers at the University of Cambridge revealed that certain human gut bacteria may have the capacity to bioaccumulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and...more
On June 30, 2025, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published a report entitled 2D Titanium Carbide MXenes: Case Study Report on Advanced Materials. Within OECD’s Working Party on Manufactured...more
This week I had the pleasure of speaking with Karyn Schmidt, now a principal at Squire Patton Boggs in its Public Policy practice, after spending 25 years at the American Chemistry Council (ACC). For the many members in the...more
Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Biden administration finalized amendments to the procedural framework rule for conducting risk evaluations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on March 11, 2025, the rescheduled meeting dates of the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) that had been previously scheduled for February 2025 to consider...more
On February 25, 2025, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report entitled High-Risk Series: Heightened Attention Could Save Billions More and Improve Government Efficiency and Effectiveness,...more
This week, I discuss Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) developments with my colleague, Dr. Richard E. Engler, Director of Chemistry for B&C and The Acta Group (Acta®), our consulting affiliate. The U.S. Environmental...more
After more than forty years of research, scientists finally determined the molecular formula of a chemical found in chloraminated drinking water. Using advanced analytical techniques, researchers detected and characterized...more
On January 17, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its new MyPest tracking system to provide transparency and visibility into the real-time status of pesticide submissions. MyPest is a web-based...more
On January 17, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of the latest Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory. The TSCA Inventory lists all existing chemical substances manufactured,...more
In a development no one could have predicted several weeks ago, the first hearing of the 119th Congress in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (E&C) focused on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and amendments to...more
The global bulk chemical shipping industry relies on chemical transportation depots to be responsive to market demands by temporarily holding trailers and containers of chemical products en route to their final destinations...more
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) publicly released a report entitled “New Chemicals Program: EPA Needs a Systematic Process to Better Manage and Assess Performance” on January 22, 2025. GAO states that it was...more
On January 22, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. (EST), the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment will hold a hearing entitled “A Decade Later: Assessing the Legacy and Impact of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for...more
On January 14, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the final risk evaluation for diisononyl phthalate (DINP) conducted under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EPA states that it has determined...more
On January 6, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the extension of the review period for confidential business information (CBI) claims for specific identities of all active chemical substances...more
The U.S. EPA recently announced that it released new risk management rules under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for TCE and PCE.1 Manufacturers and other industrial clients need to be cognizant of these new rules...more
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued final rules banning the majority of uses of two solvents, trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE), under the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control...more
Compliance with EPA’s Rule for Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(a)(7) will demand the attention and resources of...more
On November 21, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a draft Interim Framework for Advancing Consideration of Cumulative Impacts (Interim Framework). 89 Fed. Reg. 92125. According to EPA, the Interim...more
On December 9, 2024, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) adopted new rules under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) banning certain uses of trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE). ...more
On November 13, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of its final supplement to the risk evaluation and revised unreasonable risk determination for 1,4-dioxane under the Toxic Substances...more