CONSUMER PRODUCTS
▸ Preservative in leave-on cosmetics banned in the EU Methylisothiazolinone will be banned in body lotions, deodorants, and other leaveon cosmetics sold in the European Union later this year. The European Commission’s Standing Committee on Cosmetic Products voted in favor of the preservative’s ban earlier this month. The chemical, which is used in many personal care products, has been associated with allergic skin S O N reactions and skin sensitizaCH3 Methylisothiazolinone tion. Last year, the commission banned mixtures of methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone in leave-on cosmetic products. Consumer groups are welcoming the ban on methylisothiazolinone, but they are urging the commission to also take action to restrict the preservative in rinse-off personal care products such as shampoo. Earlier this month, the commission proposed to limit the amount of methylisothiazolinone in rinse-off personal care products to 15 ppm. The commission is accepting comments on the proposed limit until July 1. The standing committee is expected to vote on the proposal for rinse-off products early next year.—BRITT ERICKSON
INDUSTRIAL SAFETY
U.S. COAST GUARD
▸ Reforms haven’t made offshore drilling safer, report finds Regulatory changes enacted after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil rig disaster are inadequate to protect workers, reduce risk, and prevent similar future offshore accidents, says a new report by the Chemical Safety Board. A “culture of minimal regulatory compliance continues to exist in the Gulf and risk reduction continues to prove elusive,” the report says. The Deepwater Horizon accident killed 11 workers and caused the biggest oil spill in the history of offshore drilling. CSB investigators found that the responsible companies had corporate risk management policies more rigorous than what is required by regulation, but they did not implement them. New regulatory changes still fail to
AGRICULTURE
Farmers plant fewer genetically modified crops For the first time since 1996, farmers worldwide planted fewer acres of genetically modified crops in 2015, down 1% from 2014 to 444.0 million acres. The decline is partly attributable to increased regulation, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, the industry group that reported the results. —ANDREA
WIDENER
Top 10 producers of genetically modified crops in 2015 Area, million acres U.S. Brazil Argentina India Canada China Paraguay Pakistan South Africa Uruguay
175.2 109.2 60.5 28.7 27.2 9.1 8.9 7.2 5.7 3.5
Source: International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications
place the onus on industry to proactively reduce risk or empower regulators to prevent another disaster, the report says. A “cultural shift” in oversight and new tools to evaluate and monitor safety performance, including “meaningful worker participation,” are needed, the report says. The report still needs to be approved by the full CSB, which will vote on it later this month. It marks the third and final CSB report on the accident.—
JEFF JOHNSON, special to C&EN Regulatory oversight is inadequate to prevent another disaster like the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil rig explosion, a CSB report warns.
PERSISTENT POLLUTANTS
▸ India bans manufacture, import of PCBs India has banned the manufacture and import of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as well as the import of equipment containing these carcinogenic, synthetic organic chemicals. Under the order, announced on April 6 by India’s Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, “the use of PCBs in any form shall be completely prohibited” by the end of 2025. The decision is in line with the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants that India signed in May 2002 and ratified in January 2006. Import, export, or trade of PCB-contaminated equipment will be regulated as hazardous waste under the new directive. The use of PCB-containing equipment shall be permitted for the equipment’s certified lifetime or until Dec. 31, 2025, whichever is earlier, provided the equipment is maintained properly without the possibility of leakage or release of PCBs into the environment.—K. V. VENKATASU-
BRAMANIAN, special to C&EN APRIL 18, 2016 | CEN.ACS.ORG | C&EN
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