Rulemaking Alert: Dusters

I try my best to avoid repeating topics within a year, but the constant changes in this industry sometimes require me to address an issue more frequently. I wrotei a column in April about the intentional misuse of aerosol products. It shared data on inhalant abuse, explained efforts the aerosol industry has taken to educate […]

Risk management under TSCA

Under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was required to select 10 substances to undergo the first risk evaluations under the revised Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Since then, another 20 substances have been designated as High-Priority Substances and are undergoing risk evaluations. The […]

Federal regulatory agenda activity

The aerosol industry has been facing a number of pressure points over the last several years, including tariffs, supply chain disruptions and labor shortages. However, new and revised regulations might be the most significant source of pressure—not just on the aerosol industry, but on all businesses. While there are some regulations that require a heavy […]

Photochemical reactivity could replace existing VOC regulations

If you’ve had any conversations recently with the rulemaking staff at the California Air Resources Board (CARB), chances are photochemical reactivity has come up in the course of the discussion. For those who aren’t familiar, photochemical reactivity is a measure of the tendency of a chemical to break down in the atmosphere in the presence […]

The future through green-colored glasses

My three-year-old niece has a fascination with recycling and recycling trucks. Not garbage trucks, because those are stinky; no, she loves the green recycling trucks that come down the street once a week. According to my other friends with young children, this is common, which leads me to believe that Generation Alpha cannot get enough […]

Special permits for shipping aerosol products

An aerosol product is used to deliver a wide variety of products, which means they are subject to a number of government laws and regulations. The aerosol industry constantly strives to create new products that improve the daily lives of consumers and workers while still complying with existing laws and regulations. Unfortunately, regulations can sometimes […]

The intentional misuse of safe products

My early childhood education occurred in the 1990s, which meant I sat through a number of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) classes. The D.A.R.E. program taught children how to resist the peer pressure of smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol and taking drugs. However, now that I’m an adult, I’ve realized that inhalant abuse was rarely, if […]

A look at Household Hazardous Waste

There’s been a significant spotlight placed on packaging waste over the last few years. Government and other stakeholders have introduced legislation and regulations that require companies to make significant changes to their packaging, especially related to sustainability and cost. However, some of these changes have sparked concerns about formulation compatibility, labeling and transportation. One of […]

Updating the Federal Trade Commission Green Guides

The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) U.S Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims Green Guides (Green Guides)i provide guidance to manufacturers and marketers on what environmental claims can be made on a product. During my time working in the aerosol industry, I was told a handful of times that I was preventing sales by […]

Air Quality & Consumer Products

We’re past the point of chestnuts roasting on an open fire, and while Jack Frost still nips at our noses, we’re in full swing of the New Year. As we spend more time indoors during the Winter months, we’re more cognizant of indoor air quality. Research from the House Observations of Microbial & Environmental Chemistry […]