Carcinogenicity

Slovakia Challenges Proposed CLP Annex VI Talc Classification (CA/19/2026)

On 30 April 2026 Slovakia’s chemicals authority formally challenged ECHA’s proposed Carc.1B and STOT RE1 harmonised classification for talc under the upcoming 25th ATP to the CLP Regulation. This intervention signals potential pressure to revisit the scientific and legal basis for talc and other PSLT particle classifications, which could delay or modify future EU labelling and risk management obligations.

15 May 2026, 17:46circabc.europa.euEuropean Union

California OEHHA Releases Draft Inhalation Unit Risk Factors for Ethylene Oxide and Acrolein and Schedules Public Workshops

California’s environmental health agency has released draft cancer inhalation unit risk factors for ethylene oxide and acrolein, opened public consultation through late June 2026, and scheduled June workshops in Sacramento and Los Angeles to present the assessments. These updated risk factors will feed into California’s Air Toxics Hot Spots programme, potentially tightening how facilities quantify and manage cancer risk from emissions of these two hazardous air pollutants.

15 May 2026, 16:22oehha.ca.govUnited States

California OEHHA Opens Public Comment on Inhalation Unit Risk Factor for Ethylene Oxide

California’s environmental health agency has opened a new public consultation from 14 May to 29 June 2026 on its updated inhalation cancer risk factor for ethylene oxide used in state air-toxics assessments. This process signals continued regulatory focus on ethylene oxide emissions in California, and facilities using or emitting EtO should prepare for the possibility of tighter modeled cancer risk thresholds and follow-on control requirements once the value is finalised.

15 May 2026, 16:21oehha.ca.govUnited States

California OEHHA Opens Consultation On Draft Cancer Inhalation Unit Risk Factors For Ethylene Oxide And Acrolein

In May 2026, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment opened a public consultation on draft cancer inhalation unit risk factors for ethylene oxide and acrolein, with comments due by late June 2026 and public workshops in Sacramento and Los Angeles. These revised toxicity values will underpin future air toxics risk assessments under the state’s Hot Spots programme, so facilities emitting these chemicals and manufacturers using them should assess potential impacts on permitting, control strategies, and long-term compliance plans.

15 May 2026, 16:16oehha.ca.govUnited States

Italy: INAIL and CNA Sign Three-Year Protocol on Workplace Safety for Artisans and Small Businesses

Italy’s INAIL and CNA have signed a three-year cooperation protocol to develop guidance, monitoring campaigns and climate-resilient protective equipment addressing hardwood dust and respirable crystalline silica risks in artisans and small businesses. While it does not itself create new legal duties, the programme signals heightened attention to carcinogenic exposures under Italy’s workplace safety law and EU carcinogens rules, and may shape future guidance, incentives and enforcement priorities for small operators.

15 May 2026, 15:05inail.itItaly

ECHA Updates EU CLP Proposal for Acequinocyl With Chronic Aquatic M-Factor

In May 2026, ECHA updated Germany’s CLH proposal for the plant protection active substance acequinocyl under the EU CLP framework, with the proposed classification now including an M-factor of 1000 for both acute and chronic aquatic hazards alongside other severe hazard classes. If this harmonised classification is later adopted into CLP Annex VI, companies placing acequinocyl-based plant protection products on the EU market would need to reassess labelling, safety data sheets, and environmental risk controls to reflect the very high aquatic toxicity classification.

15 May 2026, 14:59echa.europa.euEuropean Union

New York Assembly Bill A11360 Proposes Warning Labels for Infant Cosmetic Products Containing Carcinogens

In May 2026 New York lawmakers introduced Assembly bill A11360, which would impose new ingredient and cancer-warning labelling requirements on infant cosmetic products sold in the state. If enacted, manufacturers and distributors of baby lotions, creams, oils and similar products would need to review formulations against state carcinogen definitions, update packaging, and manage the risk of civil penalties for non-compliant labelling.

15 May 2026, 13:26assembly.state.ny.usUnited States

Defra Issues UK REACH Review Authorisations for ADCR Consortium Chromate Primers

Defra has issued four UK REACH review‑report authorisation decisions for members of the ADCR Consortium, allowing continued use and formulation of chromate‑based wash, bonding and other protective primers, as well as primer formulation, for aerospace and defence applications in Great Britain. The decisions extend access to critical hexavalent chromium primer systems under UK REACH while tightening exposure‑control and monitoring obligations at GB sites and setting time‑limited review periods for future reassessment.

14 May 2026, 19:43gov.ukUnited Kingdom

EU: ECHA Opens CLH Consultation On Harmonised Classification Of Cobalt Bis(2-Ethylhexanoate) (136-52-7)

In May 2026, ECHA opened an EU CLH consultation on a Dutch proposal to classify cobalt bis(2-ethylhexanoate) (CAS 136-52-7) as both Carc. 1B (H350) and Repr. 1B (H360FD) under the CLP Regulation, with comments due by 10 July 2026. If adopted, this harmonised CMR classification would require EU suppliers using this cobalt salt to align CLP labelling, safety data sheets, and mixture classification with the new Carc. 1B/Repr. 1B status and to reassess affected uses accordingly.

13 May 2026, 09:20echa.europa.euEuropean Union

Brazilian Chamber CCJ Approves Ban on Baby Bottles and Pacifiers With Bisphenol A (BPA)

In April 2026 Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies Constitutional and Justice Committee approved bill PL 3075/2011 to amend Law 11.265/2006 and ban the sale and offer of baby bottles, teats, and pacifiers containing bisphenol A (BPA). If the bill clears the remaining parliamentary steps and is enacted, manufacturers and distributors of infant feeding products in Brazil will face a BPA-specific marketing ban, driving reformulation and tighter controls on materials used in childcare products.

12 May 2026, 12:49camara.leg.brBrazil

GB HSE Article 37 Technical Report Proposes GB MCL Classification for Milbemectin

In April 2026 HSE, acting as the GB CLP Agency, published an Article 37 technical report that agrees with the EU RAC opinion and proposes a new GB mandatory classification and labelling entry for the plant protection active substance milbemectin, adding carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, STOT SE 1 and severe aquatic hazard classifications. Although the MCL has not yet been adopted, GB suppliers using milbemectin should anticipate more stringent classification and labelling duties and begin assessing portfolio, labelling and risk-management impacts ahead of eventual implementation.

11 May 2026, 19:02hse.gov.ukUnited Kingdom

Great Britain CLP Agency Technical Report Endorses New Classification for Dodine

HSE’s GB CLP Agency has finalised a technical report backing EU RAC’s proposal to give the fungicide dodine stringent carcinogenicity, systemic toxicity and high aquatic hazard classifications under the GB CLP framework. Once these classifications are adopted into the GB mandatory classification and labelling list, manufacturers, formulators and users of dodine-based plant protection products will need to update labels, safety data sheets and risk controls in line with the tighter hazard profile.

11 May 2026, 19:01hse.gov.ukUnited Kingdom

ECHA Closes Consultation on TMAD Candidate for Substitution Under BPR

ECHA has closed the Biocidal Products Regulation consultation on TMAD (formaldehyde released from glyoxal–urea reaction products) as a potential candidate for substitution and archived it on the previous consultations list following a 09 March to 08 May 2026 information period. This signals that assessment of TMAD for BPR product types 06, 11 and 13 is advancing and that future EU authorisation decisions may require substitution or tightly defined derogations for detergents, paints, adhesives, cooling systems and metalworking fluids using this active substance.

11 May 2026, 11:42echa.europa.euEuropean Union

California OEHHA Proposes Listing Welding Fumes as Carcinogen Under Proposition 65

On 8 May 2026, California’s OEHHA issued a notice of intent to list welding fumes as a carcinogen under Proposition 65 using the Labor Code mechanism. If finalised, this would extend Proposition 65 warning and compliance obligations to welding operations across California, so employers and manufacturers should assess exposure profiles and track the listing timeline.

11 May 2026, 11:35oehha.ca.govUnited States

Illinois House Schedules SoyFoam Firefighting Foam Resolution After Committee Approval

On 7 May 2026, an Illinois House committee unanimously recommended adoption of a non-binding resolution urging the State Fire Marshal and local fire departments to replace existing firefighting foams with soy-based SoyFoam, and the measure was placed on the House calendar. While not yet legally binding, this progress signals growing political pressure to phase out PFAS-based foams in Illinois, so EHS, procurement, and chemicals teams should monitor for follow-on legislation or procurement rules that could formalise a PFAS-free transition.

9 May 2026, 14:17ilga.govUnited States

Nebraska Legislature Indefinitely Postpones LB831 on Ethylene Oxide Civil Actions

Nebraska’s LB831, a bill to establish limitations and requirements for civil actions related to ethylene oxide exposure, was indefinitely postponed by the Legislature on 17 April 2026, ending its progress this session. For operators with ethylene oxide risk in Nebraska, there are no new statutory liability shields or constraints on lawsuits, so existing tort and exposure-control regimes continue to apply while political scrutiny of ethylene oxide remains elevated.

9 May 2026, 13:37nebraskalegislature.govUnited States

EU SCoPAFF Discusses Proposed MLs for PAHs, Furans, Mycotoxins, THC and Legacy POPs in Foods

EU SCoPAFF and the European Commission are advancing proposals to revise or introduce maximum levels for PAHs, process contaminants, mycotoxins, THC and legacy POPs across a range of foods and baby foods, based on recent EFSA assessments and monitoring data. These early-stage decisions foreshadow amendments to the EU contaminants framework that could tighten limits and expand coverage, so food and beverage businesses should track the dossiers closely and prepare to adapt product recipes, sourcing and monitoring plans once final MLs and timelines are agreed.

8 May 2026, 09:27bezpecnostpotravin.czEuropean Union

ECHA Opens CLH Consultation on Metaldehyde (EC 203-600-2, CAS 108-62-3)

ECHA has launched an EU CLP public consultation on a proposed harmonised classification for the substance metaldehyde, open for comments from 4 May to 3 July 2026. The eventual CLH outcome will fix a uniform EU hazard profile for metaldehyde, shaping how manufacturers and downstream users classify, label, and communicate its risks across products and supply chains.

7 May 2026, 07:47echa.europa.euEuropean Union

California Study Links Newborn PFAS Exposure to Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia Risk

A new epidemiological study from California finds that higher levels of PFOA, PFOS and certain emerging PFAS measured in newborn dried blood spots are associated with increased odds of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, with particularly elevated risks at the highest exposure levels despite wide confidence intervals. These findings add weight to concerns about early-life PFAS mixtures, support the use of newborn blood-spot data for exposure surveillance, and are likely to inform future decisions on tightening PFAS limits in drinking water, consumer products and other exposure pathways.

6 May 2026, 07:49nature.comUnited States

Colorado Introduces SB26-184 to Expand Presumptive Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Firefighters

Colorado has introduced SB26-184 to broaden presumptive workers’ compensation coverage for firefighters by expanding the range of covered cancers, adding Parkinson’s disease and related neurological conditions, and raising the evidentiary bar for employers contesting claims. If enacted, this would significantly increase long-term occupational disease liabilities and benefit entitlements for public and private fire services in Colorado, signalling stronger protections for firefighters routinely exposed to carcinogens and neurotoxins.

4 May 2026, 20:06leg.colorado.govUnited States