The Urethane Blog
August 29, 2024
SEIU Monument Chemical workers in Brandenburg Ky go on strike at midnight tonight
Berry Craig
21 Aug, 2024
In addition to IBEW and UA workers on strike at Monument Chemical, 120 SEIU members who run the plant operations will walk out at 12:01 am Thursday morning. All of this comes after we have had our brothers and sisters of CWA and Machinists go out earlier this week. In addition to all of the solidarity you have shown recently, please reach out to our strong sister Alexis Hardesty to find out what their needs are.
In solidarity,
Dustin
https://ky.aflcio.org/news/seiu-monument-chemical-workers-brandenburg-ky-go-strike-midnight
August 29, 2024
EPA Targets Five Widely Used Chemicals: TSCA “High Priority” Designation Signals Potential Future Use Restrictions on the Chemicals and Products Containing Them
by: Javaneh S. Tarter, Nancy B. Beck, PhD, DABT, Gregory R. Wall, Matthew Z. Leopold of Hunton Andrews Kurth – The Nickel Report
Thursday, August 29, 2024
Related Practices & Jurisdictions
On July 25, 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to designate acetaldehyde (CASRN 75-07-0), acrylonitrile (CASRN 107-13-1), benzenamine (CASRN 62-53-3), vinyl chloride (CASRN 75-01-4), and 4,4-methylene bis(2-chloroaniline) (MBOCA) (CASRN 101-14-4) as high-priority substances for risk evaluation under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). A high-priority designation marks the first step toward EPA performing a risk evaluation of a chemical, which could lead to a risk management regulation imposing significant restrictions on uses of the chemical, including products containing the chemical. Companies involved in the manufacture, import, processing, distribution, use or disposal of these widely used chemicals or products containing them should take note that EPA is considering them for potential evaluation and restrictions in the future.
High Priority Chemicals
Under TSCA Section 6, a high-priority substance is a substance that EPA determines “may present an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment” because of potential hazard and exposure under the conditions of use, including an unreasonable risk to potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations. In proposing the five chemicals for high-priority designation, EPA considered their conditions of use and production volume or changes in conditions of use and production volume over time, hazard and exposure potential, and impacts to potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations, including children, consumers, workers, and overburdened communities. The chemicals’ persistence and bioaccumulation and whether they are stored near significant sources of drinking water are also relevant criteria.
If EPA finalizes its proposed high-priority designations for these substances, EPA will proceed to release scoping documents defining the scope of the risk evaluations and will conduct risk evaluations to determine whether the substances present an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment. If EPA does find that the substance presents an unreasonable risk, EPA must propose risk management rules, such as bans, worker protection programs, concentration limits, labeling, notification, and other restrictions to the extent necessary to eliminate the unreasonable risks. EPA must complete the risk evaluation process within 3-3.5 years and the risk management process within 2 years of the final risk evaluation.
Notably, EPA has been significantly delayed in these timelines for other high-priority substances that are still undergoing risk evaluations. There are currently 24 high-priority chemicals that are still undergoing the risk evaluation process. EPA has announced the goal of releasing more information about high-priority substances earlier in the process to attempt to gather more data on uses from stakeholders about high-priority chemicals, resulting in more efficient and informed risk evaluations and risk management rules.
Uses of the Five High Priority Chemicals
EPA released high priority designation documents for each of the five chemicals. The documents detail why under the statutory criteria EPA believes they warrant a high priority designation. In particular, EPA outlines the conditions of use of each chemical that it is aware of based on publicly available data such as TSCA Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule data, Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) exposure data, safety data sheets, and other EPA databases. Below, we outline the conditions of use that EPA has identified in these high-priority designation documents.
Companies should be aware that these uses are likely to be included in risk evaluations for these chemicals and potentially regulated in the future:
Acetaldehyde
Acetaldehydeis used as an intermediate in chemical, petrochemical and adhesive manufacturing, as well as an intermediate in packaging (excluding food packaging). It has commercial uses in adhesives, sealants, plastic and rubber products, golf and sports turf, agricultural non-pesticidal products, and paper products. Additionally, EPA identified acetaldehyde in commercial use for construction and building materials, including paper articles; metal articles; stone, plaster, and cement; and glass and ceramic materials.
Acetaldehyde is also used in consumer paints and coatings, plastic and rubber products, paper products, leather cleaning products, surface cleaners, wood polish, car degreaser and wax, motor oil, caulking, surface sealer, drywall, home insulation, automobile components, imaging products such as cameras and camcorders, displays, projectors, audio equipment, broadcasting systems, harnesses, cables, sheets, films, blankets, jewelry, clothing, and children’s products such as toys and games.
Acrylonitrile
Acrylonitrileis used primarily in the manufacturing and processing of plastics, paints, fibers, rubber, petrochemicals, adhesive and sealant, and other chemicals. Acrylonitrile is used as an intermediate and a monomer in manufacturing chemical products such as plastic material and resins, synthetic rubber, organic fibers, and paints and coatings. Other conditions of use of acrylonitrile include soaps and detergent manufacturing; surface active agent manufacturing; photographic film, paper, plate and chemical manufacturing; petroleum refineries; bulk gasoline terminals; pulp and paper; ferrous metals, and as a solvent in degreasing.
Consumer products reported to contain acrylonitrile include auto adhesives, batteries, multipurpose adhesive, printer inks, paint/stain products, surface sealers and upholstery, glues, coloring pens, corrective fluid, food packaging, clothing, textiles, furnishings, audio equipment, automobile construction, automobile equipment, battery cases, broadcasting systems, carbon fiber, displays, fans, imaging products such as cameras and camcorders, optical units, projectors, and nitrile gloves. EPA also identified acrylonitrile uses in several children’s products, including craft supplies, toys, games, bibs, and clothing.
Benzenamine
Benzenamine (also referred to as aniline) is used as an intermediate in chemical, petrochemical, pesticide, fertilizer, and other agricultural chemical, plastics, resins and synthetic dyes and pigment manufacturing. Benzenamine is also processed as a reactant in dyes in synthetic dye and pigment manufacturing and dyes in textiles, leather, and apparel manufacturing. Benzenamine is a processing aid and heat transfer agent for several industrial uses. It is also used in inks, toner, color products, rubber tires, textile (fabric) products, as well as furniture and furnishings, including soft plastic articles and leather articles.
Other conditions of use of benzamine include brightener in paper manufacturing, soaps and detergents, pH regulators, water treatment products, degreasing, and industrial surface coating and solvent use. Additionally, benzamine is present in consumer products such as fabric, jewelry, paints and coatings, fuels, batteries, speaker systems, audio equipment, imaging products such as cameras and camcorders, broadcasting systems, cable parts, magnetics, switch holders, seals, housings, ink, optical whitening agents, and children’s products such as toys and apparel.
Vinyl chloride
Vinyl chloride is primarily used to manufacture and process plastic materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), plastic resins, and other chemicals, many of which are used for pipes and insulating materials. It is used as an intermediate, binder, and monomer in plastic material and resin manufacturing, as well as an intermediate in manufacturing products such as adhesives, industrial gas, and petrochemicals. Additional conditions of use of vinyl chloride include other basic inorganic chemical manufacturing, plastics, rubber products, unlaminated plastics film and sheet (except packaging) manufacturing, pulp and paper, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, degreasing, and industrial surface coating and solvent use.
Consumer products reported to contain vinyl chloride include adhesives and sealants, paints and coatings, furniture and furnishings, floor coverings, fabric, agricultural and food packaging, medical devices, vinyl wallcovering and roofing, upholstery, instrument and door panels, convertible tops, swimming pool and industrial liners, sporting goods, luggage, briefcases, accessories, adhesives, glues, inks, and children’s products such as toys and apparel.
4,4-methylene bis(2-chloroaniline) (MBOCA)
MBOCA is used in plastic material, resin, synthetic rubber, and paint and coating manufacturing. It is also used as a plasticizer in plastic and rubber products. Other MBOCA uses include degreasing and industrial surface coating and solvent use; processing as a curing agent (epoxy resins); and as an intermediate in polyurethane elastomers to produce polyurethane foams. Additionally, MBOCA may be present in consumer products such as golf balls, robot wheels, roller skate wheels, high-load wheels for platform and tool-box carts, sports boots, shoe soles, belts, belts and rollers used in computer printers and photocopy machines, paper, and corrugated cardboard.
Comment Period
EPA is interested in receiving comments on these proposed high priority designations that would inform its hazard and exposure assessment, as well as identify conditions of use it could include in a risk evaluation. Comments must be received on these proposed designations on or before October 23, 2024. Companies who use these chemicals may want to provide EPA with data about how they use these chemicals in their facilities, including what current worker protections are used or whether there are restrictions or limitations on how the substance is used in consumer products, so that EPA can have the most updated information about the real-world applications of these substances.
August 29, 2024
August 28, 2024
Adnoc Finishes Due Diligence on €12 Billion Covestro Deal
ByEyk Henning and Dinesh NairAugust 28, 2024 at 6:54AM EDT
(Bloomberg) — Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. has largely completed due diligence on its planned bid for German chemical company Covestro AG, paving the way for the state-owned energy firm’s biggest-ever deal, people familiar with the matter said.
Adnoc could move forward with an €11.7 billion ($13 billion) offer for Covestro as soon as September, the people said. It has finished site visits to major Covestro plants as part of its in-depth confirmatory due diligence and hasn’t discovered any red flags, according to the people.
The Middle Eastern company still needs final signoff from senior officials for the planned bid of €62 per share, which may take several more weeks, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. Shares of Covestro jumped as much as 5.7% in Frankfurt trading Wednesday to touch €56.90, the highest intraday level since January 2022.
Representatives for Adnoc and Covestro declined to comment.
After more than a year of negotiations, Covestro in June agreed to exchange information with Adnoc to help it firm up the prospective bid. Adnoc said at the time that a potential bid of €62 per share was its final offer, indicating it wouldn’t be raising any further after already bumping several times from its first proposal of €55 per share.
Backed by tens of billions of dollars of oil money, Adnoc has been scouring the world for deals. Chemicals are a big part of that push, as the company sees demand for products used to make goods such as plastics continuing to rise over the coming decades, while the energy transition is likely to slow oil demand.
August 27, 2024
Covestro invests $40M in R&D upgrades in Pittsburgh
Covestro is committing $40 million to enhance its research and development capabilities in Pittsburgh, strengthening its innovation efforts and supporting advanced materials science.
By Prakriti Mitra Published on August 27, 2024, 07:55 EDT
Image credits – welt.de
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Covestro, a global leader in high-tech polymer materials, has announced a $40 million investment to upgrade its research and development (R&D) facilities in Pittsburgh. This significant commitment is aimed at bolstering the company’s innovation capabilities, particularly in the area of advanced materials science, which is crucial for driving future growth and meeting evolving market demands.
The investment will be used to modernize and expand Covestro’s existing R&D infrastructure, ensuring that the company remains at the forefront of material science innovation. The enhancements will include the introduction of cutting-edge equipment, upgraded laboratories, and expanded research spaces. These improvements are designed to facilitate more efficient and effective research, enabling Covestro to accelerate the development of new materials and technologies that address the needs of various industries.
Covestro’s Pittsburgh site has long been a central hub for the company’s R&D activities, and this investment reaffirms the site’s importance within the company’s global operations. By strengthening its R&D capabilities in Pittsburgh, Covestro is positioning itself to better respond to the growing demand for sustainable and innovative material solutions.
The upgrades are expected to significantly enhance the company’s ability to innovate in areas such as automotive, construction, electronics, and healthcare, where advanced materials play a critical role. Covestro’s R&D efforts focus on developing materials that are not only high-performing but also environmentally friendly, aligning with the company’s commitment to sustainability.
In addition to advancing its research initiatives, the $40 million investment will also support job creation and economic growth in the Pittsburgh region. The expansion of the R&D facilities is likely to attract top talent to the area, further solidifying Pittsburgh’s reputation as a hub for innovation and technology.
This investment is part of Covestro’s broader strategy to strengthen its position as a leader in the global materials science industry. By enhancing its R&D capabilities, Covestro aims to accelerate the development of next-generation materials that meet the challenges of today’s rapidly changing markets.
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