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Environment

Government Roundup

December 16, 2013 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 91, Issue 50

FDA is asking manufacturers of animal antibiotics to voluntarily change their drug labels to prohibit the use of medically important antibiotics for food production applications, such as enhancing animal growth or improving feed efficiency. If companies support FDA’s plan, uses of animal antibiotics will require veterinary oversight.

Aspartame is safe for human consumption at current exposure levels, the European Food Safety Authority concluded in its first risk assessment of the artificial sweetener. The assessment rules out the potential risk of aspartame damaging genes, inducing cancer, and harming the brain and nervous system.

CropLife America has released a report highlighting the benefits of applying fungicides and insecticides directly onto the surface of seeds. Such treatments produce healthier, more uniform crops; increase crop value; and allow growers to plant earlier, the industry trade group says.

The White House has unveiled a second Open Government National Action Plan in an attempt to increase federal transparency. The plan’s many initiatives include improving access to government data, making the petition process easier, and increasing the use of prizes to fuel innovation.

Chlorosulfuron will remain on the Toxics Release Inventory, meaning companies must continue reporting releases of the pesticide each year. Last week, EPA denied a petition from DuPont Crop Protection seeking deletion of the chemical from the inventory.

Consumer product makers formed a new lobbying organization to press for reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act, the federal law governing commercial chemicals. The group, Companies for Safer Chemicals, wants stronger legislation than a chemical-industry-backed bill currently pending in the Senate (S. 1009).

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