Robert Campbell graduated with a BS in chemistry from Portland State University, during which time he worked as a Research Assistant. After university, he sought employment in industry and worked for a nutraceutical company and eventually an analytical laboratory, where he was introduced to FDA and EPA regulations. Robert now works for Emerald Kalama® Chemical as a Regulatory Affairs Specialist, specializing in global chemical control regulations and food contact regulations

Regulatory Affairs & Global Chemical Control Regulations

“The chemical industry today must adapt to increasingly complex regulatory requirements around the globe. There are two main frameworks for chemical control regulations: the inventory model and the registration model. The US uses an inventory model, whereas Korea uses a registration model. The US inventory model was established by the “Toxic Substance Control Act” (TSCA) in 1976 and was reformed in 2016 by the “Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act”. The later act modernized the regulation and increased industry’s compliance obligations. Substances listed on the TSCA inventory are allowed in US commerce, whereas substances not on the inventory are not allowed in US commerce. In addition, in order to add a substance to the inventory, a legal entity must submit a substance dossier with hazard data to the Environmental Protection Agency. The Korean registration model is governed by “The Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc of Chemical Substances” (K-REACH). This law requires each legal entity who imports, manufactures, or processes substances to hold a tonnage-based substance registration and requires a robust initial hazard data submission. K-REACH came into force in 2019 and is currently in a ten year phase-in period with multiple deadlines, which makes the law a great example of a developing regulation. Complying with the many different chemical control regulations is vital to industry because non-compliance can result in heavy penalties.”

This event is supported by the Thomas Dunne Lecture Fund.