PFAS in Focus: Forever-Engineering With Trent Stober, HDR - Reflections on Water Podcast
PFAS in Focus: Wastewater Utility Perspectives From Jay Hoskins, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District - Reflections on Water Podcast
DynCorp's 'Strategic' Defense In Drug Crop Spraying Suit
The Alberta Court of King’s Bench provides clarification on both the interpretation and application of the Occupational Health and Safety Act regarding asbestos as well as the duties of landlords and tenants to carry out...more
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of thousands of chemicals manufactured since the 1940s for use in consumer products and industrial processes. This article presents an overview of the PFAS phenomenon. ...more
This is the ninth installment in a series of articles intended to provide the reader with a very high-level overview of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970 and the Occupational Safety and Health...more
The United States (US) has seen an explosion of litigation in recent years relating to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), referred to by some as “forever chemicals” because they are slow to degrade and can...more
Exposure to airborne asbestos has been linked to an increased risk of several serious and debilitating diseases, including mesothelioma, asbestos lung cancer, and other types of cancer....more
On 22 April 2024, the Commission published a much-awaited Communication setting out guiding criteria and principles on the “essential use” concept – a key deliverable of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. The...more
PFAS — perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances — have been on the scene for years now, but we expect to see exponential growth in all things PFAS in 2024....more
On December 14, 2023, California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board approved an emergency temporary standard (ETS) intended to enhance protection of workers from the hazards of respirable crystalline silica...more
In mid-December 2022, the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) released Draft Guidance for Investigating and Remediating PFAS Contamination in Washington State. The Draft Guidance would apply to independent...more
On April 1, 2021, as part of an ongoing review and revision process, seven amendments to the Health, Safety and Reclamation Code for Mines in British Columbia came into force. The Code, and its enabling statute, the Mines...more
On April 5, 2020, the Pennsylvania Department of Health released an Order requiring businesses with in-person operations during COVID-19 to adopt and implement certain safety measures. ...more
On March 10, 2020, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its proposed Preliminary Regulatory Determinations for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in drinking water, thereby...more
On October 8, 2019, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Occupational Exposure to Beryllium and Beryllium Compounds in Construction and Shipyard Sectors, 84...more
Earlier this year, we wrote about EPA’s PFAS Action Plan, the agency’s blueprint for addressing contamination and protecting public health from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). ...more
Vermont is one of several states that has started regulating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) in drinking water, groundwater, and consumer products. This client alert reflects the status of PFAS regulations in...more
Recently, we have addressed the evolving regulatory landscape for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as the federal and state governments grapple with finding the best approach to handle PFAS releases from...more
My partner Bob Melvin and I recently gave a presentation on environmental, health, and safety considerations in mergers and acquisitions. While it would be impossible to cover our entire presentation in a blog post, I thought...more
PFAS are currently the subject of significant regulatory action, research, litigation, and public debate based on recent reports suggesting that two PFAS, Perfluorooctanoic Acid (“PFOA”) and Perfluorooctane sulfonate...more
On January 22, 2019, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to provide guidance to general industry employers on OSHA’s final rule regulating occupational exposure...more
In March 2016, OSHA published its standards for respirable crystalline silica in general industry/maritime (29 C.F.R. § 1910.1053) and in construction (§ 1926.1153), both of which have been phased in. ...more
On June 23, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) implemented one of the final legs of a new rule limiting worker exposure to crystalline silica (or simply “silica”). ...more
Nearly 2.3 million people in the United States work in jobs that expose them to silica. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) claims that more than 100,000 of those workers are engaged in “high risk jobs such...more
Is that formaldehyde you smell in your newly floored sunroom? Hopefully, it is not. Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical used in construction and household products, such as cabinets, furniture,...more
The European Commission published two evaluation and fitness check roadmaps in May this year. These roadmaps will assist the Commission in assessing whether the current legislative framework for chemicals, including REACH, is...more
On October 30, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is requesting comments on a proposal to revoke all tolerances for the insecticide chlorpyrifos in response to a U.S. Court of Appeals for...more