Short Takes – 5-3-24

Launching an effective bird flu vaccine quickly could be tough, scientists warn. NPR.org article. Pull quote: “"I wish there would be more transparency about what's going on because ultimately if we're ever going to ask people to use vaccines they need to understand the process by which they were generated so they can have confidence in that process. And we cannot do that at the last minute," Nuzzo said. "We saw the challenges of doing that in COVID and I do not want to see us do that again."”

Addition of Diisononyl Phthalate Category; Community Right-to-Know Toxic Chemical Release Reporting; Correction. Federal Register EPA rule correction. Summary: “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) is correcting a final rule that appeared in the Federal Register on July 14, 2023, which added a diisononyl phthalates (DINP) category to the list of toxic chemicals subject to the reporting requirements under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and the Pollution Prevention Act (PPA). However, the amendment could not be incorporated into the regulation due to an inaccurate amendatory instruction. This document corrects the amendatory instructions.”

Procedures for Chemical Risk Evaluation Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Federal Register EPA final rule. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) is finalizing amendments to the procedural framework rule for conducting risk evaluations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The purpose of risk evaluations under TSCA is to determine whether a chemical substance presents an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment, without consideration of costs or non-risk factors, including unreasonable risk to potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations identified as relevant to the risk evaluation by EPA, under the conditions of use. EPA reconsidered the procedural framework rule for conducting such risk evaluations and is revising certain aspects of that framework to better align with the statutory text and applicable court decisions, to reflect the Agency's experience implementing the risk evaluation program following enactment of the 2016 TSCA amendments, and to allow for consideration of future scientific advances in the risk evaluation process without need to further amend the Agency's procedural rule. Effective date: July 2^nd, 2024.

Availability of Three Draft Toxicological Profiles. Federal Register TSDR notice. Summary: “The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announces the opening of a docket to obtain comments on drafts of three updated toxicological profiles: acrolein, n-hexane, and naphthalene. This action is necessary as this is the opportunity for members of the public and organizations to submit comments on drafts of the profiles. The intended effect of this action is to ensure that the public can note any pertinent additional information or reports on studies about the health effects caused by exposure to the substances covered in these three profiles for review.” Comments due May 3^rd, 2024.