Written on: February 1, 2026 by SPRAY
The Household & Commercial Products Association (HCPA) held its 112th Annual Meeting in December at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The organization’s Mid-Year Meeting will be held May12–15 in Washington, D.C.
At the opening session, Steve Caldeira, HCPA President & CEO, shared the State of the Association via video. Among many other topics, Caldeira mentioned that for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which has emerged as one of the most significant policy trends across the U.S. in the last few years. Led by Molly Blessing, HCPA has been instrumental in driving conversations on evolving legislation and advocating for special considerations for certain product categories, including aerosols and pesticides.
Through the Aerosol Recycling Initiative, HCPA and the Can Manufacturers Institute have been working with the city of Portland, OR, to develop and pilot consumer-focused messaging that explains how to properly recycle an aerosol. This will help to ensure that aerosols are included on curbside recycling lists, said Caldeira.
In July, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation finally proposed to amend the definition of an aerosol to align with international standards that allow for easier shipment of gas-only aerosol products. HCPA’s Nicholas Georges has advocated for this change over the last eight years with steadfast leadership and commitment to this effort and, hopefully, securing a key win for Industry, Caldeira noted.
Aerosol Products Division
Ashley Brown, Manager of Clinical Toxicology at SafetyCall International, LLC, presented Post-Market Surveillance Done Right and explained the critical distinction between mandatory reporting vs. post-market surveillance.
Mandatory adverse event (AE) reporting includes a regulatory compliance requirement for AE documentation and submission. Post-market surveillance is strategic safety intelligence, e.g. analyzing patterns, detecting signals and informing action. Timely reporting does not equal safety assurance.
The foundation of post-market surveillance includes some critical questions for manufacturers, such as: Do you know your expected incidence rates? Are there significant deviations? Is it a true safety signal? Could this be background noise? Are the symptoms highly correlated to the product? How severe are the AEs and is this acceptable risk?
Post-market surveillance transcends regulatory reporting—it is strategic safety intelligence.
Rick Kingston, President of Regulatory & Scientific Affairs and Sr. Clinical Toxicologist at SafetyCall International, also presented Inhalant Abuse: Is it still a problem?
Mark Robin, Technical Fellow, Chemours, presented Dimethyl Ether (DME): A Versatile Propellant. According to Robin, DME is a unique and effective aerosol propellant characterized by low environmental impact, low toxicity, enhanced solvency and broad formulation compatibility. It can replace or complement traditional solvents to reduce overall volatile organic compound (VOC) content and its water solubility and hydrogen-bonding capacity allow the creation of single-phase aqueous systems, which are typically lower in VOC content. DME can be blended with water and ethanol to form nonflammable systems with reduced VOC content and serves as a tool for meeting VOC regulations while maintaining product performance.
Michael Roldan, Senior Associate Consultant, HazMat Safety Consulting, LLC, presented Working with PHMSA. The U.S Dept. of Transportation Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (DOT PHMSA) leadership in 2025 is accessible and industry-aware, said Roldan. The most influential stage is before a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) is released, as early engagement wins.
Industry succeeds when it gives PHMSA draft text, data and harmonization arguments. Don’t just endorse a position, explained Roldan, provide substantive reasoning. He also noted that Special Permits remain the fastest vehicle for innovation.
Gergely Zámbó, Managing Director, Respray Solutions Kft, presented an update on the Respray refill station, which enables customers to refill an aerosol deodorant can up to five times in-store. The project kicked off in 2020 with three refill stations in three Rossmann drug stores in Budapest, Hungary. Now there are Respray systems in 30 Hungarian stores, capable of refilling 20 different aerosol products.
Other updates include a new Respray refill system for industrial use. The new system has a compact layout and size (30 x 40 x 50 cm), is designed to fit in most workflows, requires no electricity, has universal compatibility with most spray products, has actuator removal technology, offers customizable branding and precision refilling, as well as a minimalistic and robust design. Respray will be testing the new industrial products and business model in Q1 2026. SPRAY
