Editor’s Note: This article can be read in its entirety at printing.org. Below is a sample of the full-length article.

In a shift from its previous position, the Washington Department of Ecology (DoE) released a draft Safer Products Report recommending regulation to reduce the amount of inadvertent polychlorinated biphenyls (iPCBs) found in pigments used in printing inks.

In 2022, PRINTING United Alliance mounted an opposition campaign to stop the regulation of inks that contain trace amounts of (iPCBs). When the DoE concluded it could not impose stricter limits than the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) current limits, legislation was introduced in 2023 to ban chlorinated pigment in inks. This effort was also halted by an opposition campaign led by PRINTING United Alliance and its members.

However, legislation was passed that required the DoE to petition EPA to revise the existing iPCB limits under the Toxic Substances Control Act(TSCA) regulations. DoE prepared and submitted a petition in January 2024 to EPA requesting reconsideration and tightening of the current allowable iPCB limits in products. EPA denied the state’s petition in April 2024 because the DoE did not demonstrate that inks are a significant contributor of iPCBs and that the current EPA limit is not protective of human health or the environment.

Read the full article from Gary Jones.

In this article, Gary Jones, VP EHS Affairs, PRINTING United Alliance addresses environmental regulatory issues in Washington State. More information about the issues can be found at Business Excellence-EHS Affairs or reach out to Gary should you have additional questions specific to how these issues may affect your business: gjones@printing.org.