...The new TSCA could accelerate the regulation of two main groups of compounds that the EPA has been eyeing for a while: perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) and flame retardants. PFCs play a central role in durable water repellent (DWR) coatings, which are applied to outerwear and footwear. (It's worth noting that these represent a drop in the PFC bucket -- the chemicals are also used in carpets, food packaging, upholstery and other products we use daily.)

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as C8 in reference to the eight strongly-bonded carbon atoms in its molecular structure, is a byproduct of PFC production and numerous studies have concluded it is toxic to animals and a likely human carcinogen. Flame retardants are applied to tents in compliance with fire safety requirements.

The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) has special working groups studying both PFCs and flame retardants. "We need to design products that meet specific performance requirements and protect users from the elements and from harm," says Beth Jensen, OIA's director of corporate responsibility.

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas (AFNS) -- The Air Force Civil Engineer Center, in partnership with researchers from the University of Arizona, is exploring an innovative way to dispose of the Air Force's toxic firefighting foam stockpiles -- using only sound waves.

July 7 -- British chemicals companies and companies that use the U.K. as their point of entry into the European single market could face years of uncertainty over their compliance obligations under the European Union's REACH regulation, in the wake of the U.K.'s Brexit referendum.

Legal and industry experts contacted by Bloomberg BNA emphasized that until the day the U.K. departs the European Union, REACH and other EU laws on substances will continue to apply. But beyond that, there are few certainties.

AMHERST, Mass. -- Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst report in the current issue of Small that they have genetically designed a new strain of bacteria that spins out extremely thin and highly conductive wires made up solely of non-toxic, natural amino acids.

Researchers led by microbiologist Derek Lovley say the wires, which rival the thinnest wires known to man, are produced from renewable, inexpensive feedstocks and avoid the harsh chemical processes typically used to produce nanoelectronic materials.

Lovley says, "New sources of electronic materials are needed to meet the increasing demand for making smaller, more powerful electronic devices in a sustainable way." The ability to mass-produce such thin conductive wires with this sustainable technology has many potential applications in electronic devices, functioning not only as wires, but also transistors and capacitors. Proposed applications include biocompatible sensors, computing devices, and as components of solar panels.

This advance began a decade ago, when Lovley and colleagues discovered that Geobacter, a common soil microorganism, could produce "microbial nanowires," electrically conductive protein filaments that help the microbe grow on the iron minerals abundant in soil. These microbial nanowires were conductive enough to meet the bacterium's needs, but their conductivity was well below the conductivities of organic wires that chemists could synthesize.

SUMMARY: Children in America today are at an unacceptably high risk of developing neurodevelopmental disorders that affect the brain and nervous system including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disabilities, and other learning and behavioral disabilities. These are complex disorders with multiple causes -- genetic, social, and environmental. The contribution of toxic chemicals to these disorders can be prevented.

APPROACH: Leading scientific and medical experts, along with children's health advocates, came together in 2015 under the auspices of Project TENDR: Targeting Environmental Neuro-Developmental Risks to issue a call to action to reduce widespread exposures to chemicals that interfere with fetal and children's brain development. Based on the available scientific evidence, the TENDR authors have identified prime examples of toxic chemicals and pollutants that increase children's risks for neurodevelopmental disorders. These include chemicals that are used extensively in consumer products and that have become widespread in the environment. Some are chemicals to which children and pregnant women are regularly exposed, and they are detected in the bodies of virtually all Americans in national surveys conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vast majority of chemicals in industrial and consumer products undergo almost no testing for developmental neurotoxicity or other health effects.

Industrial coatings that offer faster finishes are in demand as end users seek to improve productivity and/or accelerate return-to-service time. When formulating two-component (2K) polyurethanes, however, speed has been stymied by an ongoing trade-off between pot life and drying time. Slowing the reaction between the base resin (Part A) and the isocyanate crosslinker (Part B) provides a much-needed extension of pot life; it also results in longer drying times. PARALOID™ Edge ISO-free* technology (*manufactured without isocyanate) developed by Dow Coating Materials, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, utilizes an alternate urethane crosslinking system that decouples pot life from ambient cure time, allowing formulators to optimize both properties. ...