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OEHHA Green Chemistry News

• Notice of Adoption Title 22, California Code of Regulations Adoption of Sections 69401 through 69407.2 Green Chemistry – Hazard Traits
  [01/18/12]
• Notice of Augmentation of Recordand 2nd Modification of Text of Proposed Regulation Title 22, California Code of Regulations, Sections 69401 Through 69407 Green Chemistry Hazard Traits for California’s Toxics Information Clearinghouse
  [10/07/11]
• Comments on Proposed Modified Regulation
  [09/22/11]
• Notice of Modification of Text of Proposed Regulation - Title 22, California Code of Regulations, Sections 69401 Through 69406 - Green Chemistry Toxics Information Clearinghouse Identification of Hazard Traits, Endpoints and Other Relevant Data for Inclusion in the Toxics Information Clearinghouse
  [07/29/11]
• Peer Review Comments on Proposed Rulemaking Title 22, California Code of Regulations, Sections 69401 Through 69406 Green Chemistry Toxics Information Clearinghouse Identification of Hazard Traits, Endpoints and Other Relevant Data for Inclusion In The Toxics Information Clearinghouse
  [06/17/11]
• Green Chemistry - Comments on Proposed Hazard Traits Regulation
  [02/28/11]
• Green Chemistry - On January 31, 2011, at 10:00 a.m., OEHHA will be holding a public regulatory hearing for the proposed Green Chemistry Toxics Information Clearinghouse Identification of Hazard Traits, Endpoints and Other Relevant Data regulation.
  Further information on this regulatory process can be found at this link:
  http://www.oehha.ca.gov/multimedia/green/gc121710.html
  
• Green Chemistry - Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Title 22, California Code of Regulations, Sections 69401 Through 69406 Green Chemistry Toxics Information Clearinghouse Identification of Hazard Traits, Endpoints and Other Relevant Data for Inclusion In The Toxics Information Clearinghouse
  [12/17/10]
• Green Chemistry - Public Comments on the Pre-Regulatory Draft Regulation for Hazard Traits and Environmental and Toxicological Endpoints for Green Chemistry
  [09/28/10]
• Green Chemistry - Presentation Hand-out for the August 23, 2010 Public Workshop Availabiility of Pre-Regulatory Draft Regulation for Hazard Traits and Environmental and Toxicological Endpoints
  [08/23/10]
• Green Chemistry - August 23, 2010 Public Workshop Availabiility of Pre-Regulatory Draft Regulation for Hazard Traits and Environmental and Toxicological Endpoints
  [08/11/10]
• Green Chemistry - Notice of Planned Rulemaking Process
  [07/08/10]

Green Chemistry at OEHHA

The State of California recently passed two new laws to begin implementation of a green chemistry program. AB 1879 (Feuer, Chapter 559, Statutes of 2008) mandates that a regulatory process be established for identifying and prioritizing chemicals of concern in consumer products and to create methods for analyzing alternatives to existing hazardous chemicals. SB 509 (Simitian, Chapter 560, Statutes of 2008) establishes the Toxics Information Clearinghouse, with the goal of increasing public knowledge about the toxicity and hazards of thousands of chemicals used in California every day. OEHHA is required by January 1, 2011 to “evaluate and specify the hazard traits and environmental and toxicological end-points and other relevant data that are to be included in the clearinghouse.” The hazard traits, endpoints and other characteristics specified by OEHHA for the Clearinghouse must be included by the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) in developing criteria to evaluate chemicals and their alternatives.

In fulfilling the legislative mandate of SB 509, OEHHA will be holding a series of public workshops to obtain input on hazard traits, endpoints and other chemical characteristics that can be used to identify and prioritize chemicals of concern with regard to toxicity and exposure potential. OEHHA will also consult with other state agencies, the federal government and other nations. OEHHA will also be providing consultation to DTSC in the development of the regulatory process for identifying and prioritizing chemicals of concern in consumer products, as mandated by AB 1879. OEHHA is committed to informing the public of its findings through online resources and community outreach.

In addition to the specific legislative mandates noted above, OEHHA has other programs that are relevant to green chemistry. OEHHA’s green chemistry activities are summarized below.

• OEHHA is collaborating with the UCLA Law and Environmental Health Sustainable Technology Policy Program and the UC Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry on a workshop series on California’s Toxics Information Clearinghouse:  Scientific Approaches to Implementation.
  • Follow this link to download the agenda and speaker slides from the March 15-16, 2010 Human Health Hazard Indicators Workshop
• Evaluating and specifying hazard traits, toxicological and environmental endpoints and other relevant data to be included in the Toxics Information Clearinghouse as mandated by SB 509. The first public meeting on the Clearinghouse was held by OEHHA on January 29, 2009. OEHHA prepared a meeting report which summarizes the panel discussion, public comments and OEHHA's next steps on the Clearinghouse development.
• Researching safer alternatives to PBDE flame retardants, which are persistent, bioaccumulative compounds associated with adverse effects on the thyroid and brain development.  The objective of the research is to ensure that alternative chemicals or re-designed products being used to address fire safety do not have unanticipated impacts on human health or the environment.   
• Evaluating substitutes under the California Air Resources Board’s Consumer Products Program for volatile organic compounds that contribute to ground-level ozone.  The evaluations are intended to ensure that alternatives are acceptable from a human health perspective. 
• Identifying safer substitutes for perchloroethylene, a cancer-causing chemical being phased-out as a dry cleaning agent in California, by ensuring that alternatives are clearly less toxic to people and the environment.  OEHHA is also assisting the City of San Francisco in evaluating alternative garment cleaning processes,
• Conducting multimedia assessments of alternative fuels that could offer improved protection of public health and the environment, including air and water quality. 
• Developing green building guidelines and recommendations to improve indoor air quality and promote recycled products and low-emitting construction materials.
• OEHHA staff led and participated on teams that developed green chemistry policy options based on public input, and were lead authors of chapters in the California Green Chemistry Initiative Phase One Report that was released in January 2008. OEHHA also participated in the development of the California Green Chemistry Initiative Final Report released in December 2008.
• OEHHA and the Department of Toxic Substances Control presented a talk entitled “Green Chemistry Initiative Update” to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board In-House Training on Emerging Contaminants
• OEHHA cosponsored an October 2007 workshop with the University of California’s Center for Occupational and Environmental Health on Practical Decision-Making Tools for Identifying Safer Alternatives.
• As a follow up to recommendations made by commenters at the workshop on Practical Decision-Making Tools for Identifying Safer Alternatives, OEHHA is focusing on increasing technical capacity in the area of quantitative structure activity analysis.  As one element of this effort, OEHHA staff attended the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Sustainable Futures training on tools used for evaluating new chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act.