Podcast Short: Three countries advance alignment with EU chemical laws

This week’s Podcast Short looks at three countries that recently took steps to advance their alignment with EU chemical laws, as well as recent announcements from Flexsys and Lanxess about potential alternatives to 6PPD. Moldova, Serbia and Turkey recently made changes to portions of their domestic chemical laws to align with the EU, as they work to advance their candidacy to join the trade bloc. In the latest business news, the rubber chemicals company Flexsys said it has two candidate chemicals that could potentially replace 6PPD as a stabilising agent in tyres.  Other top stories discussed include: ECHA’s Committee for Risk Assessment recommends propyl paraben be classified as category 1, endocrine disruptive for the environment; compliance efforts boost data for previously non-compliant REACH registration dossiers; the US EPA continues to churn out draft TSCA risk evaluations; and Vietnam looks to simplify administrative procedures under its chemicals law. Tune in to hear about our top stories from the last week, and then visit Chemical Watch News & Insight to catch all the latest chemicals management news from around the globe.  Have a podcast idea or a comment to share? Let us know by emailing the editor at [email protected].

This week’s Podcast Short looks at a provision in the recent US stopgap spending bill and the overlap of chemicals in Canada’s latest data call-in for chemicals.Topping the headlines this week is story from North America managing editor Kelly Franklin, who writes about Congress extending the EPA’s TSCA fee authority as part of the continuing resolution to keep the government funded into December, and what that extension means for possible amendments to the chemicals law.In Canada, regulators mandate that companies provide information on 200 chemicals, many of which are under regulatory scrutiny in other jurisdictions like the US and EU.Other top stories discussed include: A federal court in Oregon upholds the state’s extended producer responsibility law; California lawmakers approve several chemicals-related bills, covering PFAS in pesticides, bisphenols in receipt paper and more; Industry groups urge the European Commission to reconsider plans to add chemicals like BPA and lilial to the EU Prior Informed Consent Regulation; and The head of hazardous substances at New Zealand’s Environmental Protection Authority talks about how the agency plans to improve new chemical reviews.Tune in to hear about our top stories from the last week and then visit Chemical Watch News & Insight to catch all the latest chemicals management news from around the globe. Have a podcast idea or a comment to share? Let us know by emailing the editor at [email protected].

This week’s Podcast Short looks at a feature on EU REACH and debate over potential end-of-life restrictions in a pair of proposed TSCA significant new use rules (SNURs).Topping the headlines this week is a special feature from senior correspondent Clelia Oziel, who looks at the EU REACH regulation nearly 20 years after it was adopted in late 2026 to understand why current reform efforts have stalled, and where there might be room for compromise ahead.In the US, North America managing editor Kelly Franklin looks at why industry is expressing concern about potential end-of-life restrictions included in proposed SNURs for two mixed metal oxides used in batteries.Other top stories discussed include:Sweden’s plan to ban PFAS from several consumer products as early as 2028;a proposed QR code option for California’s Proposition 65 warnings; anda draft bill in Thailand that would establish a dedicated process for environmental cases.Tune in to hear about our top stories from the last week, and then visit Chemical Watch News & Insight to catch all the latest chemicals management news from around the globe.Have a podcast idea or a comment to share? Let us know by emailing the editor at [email protected].

This week’s Podcast Short looks at our top stories from Washington state and the EU, plus other significant developments from New Mexico, Canada and more. In Washington state, the Department of Ecology has outlined what priority products are likely to see restrictions next under the Safer Products for Washington (SPW) programme.  In the EU, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has cut the safe dietary exposure level for trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), signalling increasing regularly scrutiny for the ultra-short-chain PFAS.  And the UK government has formally extended UK REACH registration deadlines for the third and likely final time.Other stories discussed include: New guidance from New Mexico to help companies comply with its upcoming PFAS labelling regime; Canada adding the first chemical to its Watch List of potentially concerning substances; A federal judge blocks enforcement of California’s recyclability labelling law; UN PFAS review highlights divisions over how to manage the persistent chemicals. Tune in to hear more and then visit Chemical Watch News & Insight to catch all the latest news in chemicals management.  Have a podcast idea or a comment to share? Let us know by emailing the editor at [email protected].

Catch up on the latest headlines from Chemical Watch News & Insight  This week’s Podcast Short reviews our top stories, plus other interesting developments from around the globe.  In New York, the state attorney general has sued six chemical manufacturers over their use of PFAS in consumer products, with the lawsuit going beyond allegations typically raised in state-led PFAS cases.  In the EU, committees in the European Parliament have given a green light to a provisional agreement among EU lawmakers on the Chemicals Omnibus, bringing the measure one step closer to adoption. Meanwhile, regulators in China have proposed a unified framework for managing national and industry standards for cosmetics and toothpaste. Other stories include: Illinois prohibiting two dozen cosmetic ingredients; the European Commission proposing to ban 16 cosmetic ingredients deemed to be carcinogenic, mutagenic or reproductive toxicants; Brazil finalising its RoHS resolution restricting substances in electrical and electronic equipment; and a feature story looking at how some investors view the long-term risks of PFAS. Tune in to hear more and then visit Chemical Watch News & Insight to catch all the latest news on global developments in chemicals management.Have a podcast idea or a comment to share? Let us know by emailing the editor at [email protected].

The latest episode of Enhesa’s Chemical Watch News & Insight podcast discusses the ambitious slate of TSCA actions outlined in the US government’s recent update to the unified regulatory agenda, as well as the timing of anticipated proposals from the Food and Drug Administration.North America managing editor Kelly Franklin joins the podcast to talk about the many chemicals-related actions the EPA hopes to release in the coming months, including as many as ten major proposed or finalised TSCA rules in July alone. We also discuss the FDA’s planned timelines to release proposals that would amend the GRAS process, restrict formaldehyde-releasers in hair products and mandate the disclosure of fragrance allergens in cosmetics. Tune in to catch the full episode! Then come back to read all the latest developments in chemicals policy from Enhesa’s Chemical Watch News & Insight. Have a podcast idea or a comment to share? Let us know by emailing the editor at [email protected]. 

This week’s podcast short looks at a trio of stories covering the US government’s latest unified agenda, with the EPA hinting at a surge of upcoming TSCA rules, the FDA pushing back the release date for its GRAS proposal, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission signalling that its regulatory review of organohalogen flame retardants is continuing.  In Europe, we discuss a story covering the UK government’s plan to hold off on immediate restrictions on non-essential PFAS uses while it monitors developments in the EU. And a business desk article looks at Hyundai Motor Company’s goal to phase out PFAS by 2029 and the challenges ahead for a future of expanding PFAS restrictions. Other highlighted stories include: a guest article on TSCA enforcement for chemical imports; chemical management initiatives in Malaysia and Colombia; a new challenge to New Mexico’s PFAS labelling law; and  emerging research on chemical exposures from yoga mats. Tune in to hear more about our top headlines, then visit Chemical Watch News & Insight for all the latest global developments in chemicals management. Have a podcast idea or a comment to share? Let us know by emailing the editor at [email protected].

Catch up on the latest headlines from Chemical Watch News & Insight with our latest Podcast Short. This week, we look at discussions from a meeting of the EU’s Environment Council, where ministers said the upcoming REACH update should focus on gaps in enforcement and digitizing data-sharing infrastructure.  In the US, the Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of Monsanto in a case over state-level failure-to-warn claims related to its glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup, a decision that could have significant implications for warning requirements under California’s Proposition 65 scheme. And in Asia, regulators in China have moved to simplify the country’s approval process for new cosmetic ingredients. Elsewhere in the world, the podcast covers the latest developments on: a proposed EPA listing of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and six other ultrashort fluorinated compounds for drinking water monitoring; Rhode Island adding an exemption for its PFAS restriction law; a provisional agreement between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers on the proposed basic regulation governing ECHA; and more! Tune in to hear a summary of our top stories from the past week. And then come back to read all the latest developments in chemicals policy from Enhesa’s Chemical Watch News & Insight.  Have a podcast idea or a comment to share? Let us know by emailing the editor at [email protected]. 

Join us for our first Chemical Watch Podcast Short, where we highlight our latest top stories.  This week, we look at the options the European Commission is exploring as it considers updating REACH without reopening the law, as well as the Commission’s latest draft of its Restrictions Roadmap. In the US, our coverage dives into the big $450m settlement with Chemours over PFAS discharges, as well as the implications of California’s attorney general conceding a lawsuit over Proposition 65 warnings for DEA in cosmetics, the latest case over the First Amendment’s limits on government-compelled warnings where there is not a scientific consensus on a substance’s toxicity.  Elsewhere in the world, we cover:  the latest in the legal challenge to New Mexico’s PFAS labelling and fee requirements;  debate in New Zealand over a bill that would require regulators to rely more on chemical assessments from other jurisdictions; and  the United Kingdoms’ recent push for more alignment with the EU on chemicals regulation. Tune in to hear more about our top headlines. And then come back to read all the latest developments in chemicals policy from Enhesa’s Chemical Watch News & Insight. Have a podcast idea or a comment to share? Let us know by emailing the editor at [email protected].

This week’s Chemical Watch News & Insight podcast from Enhesa looks at two recent recommendations from ECHA’s Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC): one saying the ultra-short-chain PFAS TFA warrants classification as a reprotoxicant, and another agreeing with a French proposal to classify the acne treatment ingredient resorcinol as a category 1 endocrine disruptor. Science editor Andrew Turley joins the podcast to talk about the RAC’s recommendation for trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and the implications if the PFAS is ultimately classified as a reprotoxicant and potentially more under the EU CLP Regulation. In addition, science reporter Dr Emma Davies discusses resorcinol and what it means if the industrial ingredient becomes the first substance to be classified as an endocrine disruptor for human health under the CLP Regulation. Tune in to catch the full episode! And then come back to read all the latest developments in chemicals policy from Enhesa’s Chemical Watch News & Insight. Have a podcast idea or a comment to share? Let us know by emailing the editor at [email protected].