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California Environmental Contaminant Biomonitoring Program Revises List of Designated Chemicals

The California Environmental Contaminant Biomonitoring Program, also known as Biomonitoring California, has revised its list of designated chemicals. The updated list includes several additions of chemicals recently included by the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention.

The new list formulated by Biomonitoring California covers the following chemicals:

  • A group of heterocyclic amines (which have been designated by the state for listing under Proposition 65);
  • An additional phthalate alternative;
  • Additional flame retardants;
  • Additional volatile organic compounds;
  • 1-Nitropyrene metabolites (designated as a biomarker for diesel exhaust exposure); and
  • Additional chemicals that are already members of covered groups, including brominated and chlorinated organic compounds used as flame retardants and PFASs.

In addition to the updated chemical list, the program made other clarifications including revising the priority list, which consists of the group of substances that are recommended for monitoring by the Scientific Guidance Panel (SGP).

Biomonitoring California was established in 2006 as a collaborative initiative of three organizations: the California Department of Public Health, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, and the Department of Toxic Substances Control. Biomonitoring California was designed to measure chemicals in a person’s body by taking samples of bodily fluids and tissues. Members of the public are welcomed to participate in the program. Bodily samples are analyzed to monitor the absorption level of a chemical from all sources. The SGP then issues recommendations for the program’s operation. Moreover, SGP develops proposals for chemicals that have been designated as priorities for biomonitoring and implements scientific peer review for the program.

The goal of Biomonitoring California is to detect trends in the levels of designated chemicals over time by measuring the chemical exposure of certain residents. Information provided by biomonitoring assists public health authorities in implementing their programs as, for example, by prioritizing substances for evaluation for listing under Proposition 65.

Grimaldi Law Offices has been advising clients for over 20 years on chemical and product law. For knowledgeable advice and in-depth analysis on your chemical regulatory compliance obligations, contact Grimaldi Law Offices at (415) 463-5186 or email us at [email protected].

 

 

Ms. Grimaldi maintains a diverse environmental law practice focusing on chemical and product regulation and litigation defense. Her practice areas include Proposition 65, California's Safer Consumer Products Regulations, California's Rigid Plastic Packaging Container Act and the federal Toxic Substances Control Act. Ms. Grimaldi graduated from the University of California Hastings College of the Law magna cum laude and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Bacteriology from University of California, Davis. Prior to attending law school, she worked as a research assistant in laboratories at the University of California, San Francisco Cancer Research Institute and at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine.