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
On 17 July 2025, a bipartisan bill aimed at uncovering the potential human health implications of exposures to microplastics in the food and water supply was introduced into Congress. Introduced by Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-OR),...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
The Presidential Commission to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) has released its assessment identifying key drivers of childhood chronic disease, including poor diet and aggregation of environmental chemicals. The report...more
In response to President Trump’s February 13, 2025, Executive Order (EO) 14212, “Establishing The President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission,” the White House issued part of what is being called “The MAHA Report” (with...more
The Trump Administration released its Make Our Children Healthy Again Assessment on May 22, 2025, documenting its rationale for future policy actions related to chronic disease in children. The report focuses on four key...more
On May 22, 2025, President Trump’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission released an assessment titled “The MAHA Report: Make Our Children Healthy Again Assessment.” The report—framed as a “call to action”—stems from a...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
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 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
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
On May 10, 2024, extensive revisions recently adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Risk Management Program (RMP) regulations (40 CFR Part 68) will take effect. The revisions, dubbed by EPA as the “Safer...more
COMPETITION - Communication from the Commission – Commission Notice on the definition of the relevant market for the purposes of Union competition law Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11483 - MSD Hospitality /...more
After being introduced in the House of Representatives 20 years ago, Federal Law No. 14,785/2023 was passed at the end of 2023, establishing and modifying rules for pesticides related to the research and experimentation on...more
Yesterday, I spoke with Sarah Mattalian, an Inside EPA reporter writing a story about the suggestion by an EPA official that EPA might require additional PFAS investigations and clean up at properties that had already been...more
Delaware Attorney General Kathleen Jennings filed a lawsuit in late October against 14 defendant chemical companies for manufacturing and sale of fire-fighting foams that contained PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” used...more
Regulation Would Apply to PFOA, PFOS, GenX, PFBS, PFHxS, and PFNA - On March 14, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new primary drinking water regulations for six of the most common per- and...more
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS or PFOS, have been a key ingredient in numerous industrial and consumer products for decades. These man-made chemicals are prevalent and are also...more
In 2017, the Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its approval of pesticides containing three active ingredients – acetamiprid, dinotefuran, and...more
The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) has long provided EPA with authority to review new chemical substances in a gatekeeper role as such substances enter U.S. commerce. ...more
On February 6, 2020, the California State Water Resources Control Board lowered the response levels (RLs) for perflourooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), two of the most common compounds in the...more
With the EU Chemical Agency's recent announcement that four new substances will be added to the Candidate List1, you might be thinking: what's next for the UK and its chemicals legislation?...more
Results from the first phase of sampling drinking water supply wells for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were recently published by the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) and show...more