Regulatory Review: September 2024

This digest provides an overview of some of the latest regulatory news announcements of interest to the SETAC community. Please send your suggestions to [email protected]. 

Africa Ministry of the Environment

African Environment Ministers meeting in Abidjan have called for the establishment of a legally binding protocol on drought management under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), with a special focus on Africa. The call for action comes amid growing concerns over the detrimental impact of land degradation, drought and desertification on the continent’s socio-economic stability, food security and environmental sustainability. 

Australia Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW)  

The southern bluefin tuna is no longer considered a threatened species. Effective management actions have resulted in strong recovery of the population and the delisting in Australia. 

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Health Canada (HC)  

Minister of ECCC announced up to $6.2 million in funding for Species at Risk through the Habitat Stewardship Program. This funding will support 38 conservation projects across Canada, led by communities, individuals and non-government organizations, to help recover species at risk in their local areas.  

HC’s final document for PFAS, Objective for Canadian Drinking Water Quality Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, is now posted on Health Canada’s website, along with the updated Water Talk on PFAS.

European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)  

ECHA urges companies to check their company size declaration on REACH registration. ECHA is continually initiating verification on the size of companies who have declared they are a small or medium-sized (SME) at the time of their REACH registration. 

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)  

EFSA, in collaboration with the University of Padua (Italy), has identified 12 species of bark and ambrosia beetles that pose a high economic or environmental risk to plant health in the EU territory.  

A new report by EFSA’s partners in the NAMs4NANO project proposes a system for promoting New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) to assess the potential food safety risks of nanoparticles. 

United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)  

USEPA Unveils Additional Safer Choice Label for safer, more sustainable cleaning for outdoor use. The new label identifies outdoor cleaners, detergents and other products that provide extra protection for waterways  

USEPA upgrades ECHO database to add water quality indicators tool enhancing access to water quality data including contributors to pollution. A new mapping tool allows users to analyze water data and identify pollution problems in their communities including the potential polluters. 

Contact: [email protected]