In August 2010 the EPA issued a notice proposing new and revised analytical methods to be used under the Clean Water Act (CWA).

The proposed rule, entitled “Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures for the Analysis of Pollutants Under the Clean Water Act; Analysis and Sampling Procedures”, will affect numerous EPA Methods, ASTM Methods, Standard Methods, and alternative test methods.

EPA methods:

Read more about the proposed CWA Methods…

by Brian Lewis, Ph. D

On January 15, 2010, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reversed its position that exposure to bisphenol-A (BPA) is not harmful, stating that they now “have some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children”.¹ In the same report, the FDA voiced their support for the food and beverage container industry to halt production of baby bottles and feeding cups in the U.S. that contain BPA.

The FDA’s current position on BPA follows a 2008 draft report by the agency that claimed the no observable adverse effect level (NOAEL) of 5 mg/kg body weight/day was “an adequate margin of safety … for BPA at current levels of exposure from food contact uses,” and that the 2.42 μg/kg body weight/day and 0.185 μg/kg body weight/day exposure levels found in infants and adults, respectively, was safe.² However, when that draft report was submitted to a seven-member panel of experts for peer review, the panel refuted the FDA’s position, stating that “the available qualitative and quantitative information … provides a sufficient scientific basis to conclude that the Margins of Safety defined by FDA as ‘adequate’ are, in fact, inadequate”.³

Read more about Bisphenol-A…