United States: Chemicals

The Fifth Circuit's landmark decision in East Fork Enterprises v. EPA fundamentally reshapes how the agency must conduct chemical risk evaluations under TSCA, requiring condition-of-use-specific determinations and consideration of actual workplace protections. The ruling vacates EPA's methylene chloride risk management rule and establishes new standards for evaluating unreasonable risk that reject precautionary approaches and demand stronger evidentiary support. These holdings will force EPA to revise its p

A goal of patent practitioners during the prosecution of a patent application before the United States Patent and Trademark Office is to lawfully obtain the broadest possible legal scope of protection...

The Fifth Circuit's landmark decision in East Fork Enterprises v. EPA vacates the agency's methylene chloride risk management rule, establishing new precedents for how TSCA requires condition-specific risk determinations, treatment of workplace protective equipment, and evidentiary standards. This ruling could fundamentally reshape EPA's approach to chemical regulation and influence pending litigation involving asbestos, trichloroethylene, and other substances.

The EPA has released draft risk evaluations for o-dichlorobenzene and p-dichlorobenzene under TSCA, finding unreasonable risks to workers and consumers from various conditions of use. The agency is seeking public comment on these evaluations by October 9, 2026, with particular interest in exposure assessments, hazard characterizations, and risk determinations for both chemicals.

The EPA Office of Inspector General has launched an evaluation of the Toxic Substances Control Act Priority Testing List following a hotline complaint. The review will examine whether the TSCA Interagency Testing Committee is maintaining its required six-month update schedule and how EPA is addressing chemicals identified on the list.

The EPA has released draft exposure assessments for trans-1,2-dichloroethylene and 1,2-dichloropropane, two widely used industrial solvents that may be present in consumer products and can travel through air and water. These technical support documents explain how the agency estimates potential exposure to these chemicals in workplaces, homes, and nearby communities, marking a significant step in EPA's review process under the Toxic Substances Control Act. The release comes amid concerns about the compresse

On July 3, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published the Trump Administration’s 2026 Unified Agenda. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Unified Agenda includes the following rulemakings...

On June 15, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) published a notice of rule adoption formally establishing new regulatory standards applicable to hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid...

The EPA has proposed the Sixth Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 6), requiring public water systems to collect data on 30 unregulated contaminants including certain PFAS from 2028 to 2030. Despite petitions from seven state governors and environmental groups, the agency declined to add microplastics to the monitoring list, citing the absence of validated testing methods, though microplastics remain on the draft Contaminant Candidate List 6 for potential future regulation.