According to a Design Chain Associates (DCA) in San Francisco, the California Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) has issued a significant revision to the straw proposal for the Safer Alternatives Regulation. “The new draft narrows the scope but still potentially includes products like printers, electronic toys and computing equipment used in the K-12 school environment,” says Michael Kirschner, president of DCA, a firm that helps companies with environmental compliance.
Kirschner notes that this regulation can be considered to be building on REACH and other substance-related regulations, but it only addresses “consumer products” and requires the replacement of certain substances with “safer” substitutes, something REACH and RoHS do not do. “It is still in development, and they are always looking for inputs,” says Kirschner. “However, a key source of inputs is the Green Ribbon Science Panel, which consists of 27 experts from a variety of stakeholder groups.”
There will be a meeting of the Green Ribbon Science Panel - of which Kirschner is a member - on October 14 to review and discuss the revision. Remote attendance is possible via webcast. See the DTSC website for the draft regulation and more information.
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