In this latest episode of the Chemical Watch Podcast, news editor Charlotte Niemiec is joined by North America managing editor Terry Hyland and editorial director Geraint Roberts to discuss two stories from the week.

First, the news from the US that two Republican senators have said they will oppose the nomination of Nancy Beck, a former principal deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention at the EPA, to chair the US Consumer Product Safety Commission which assesses the risks associated with some 15,000 consumer products in the US.

Second, we look at the EU’s plans for a cross-agency ‘one substance - one assessment’ approach to regulating chemicals. This week, several NGOs urged the EU to take a ‘grouping approach’ to speed up regulatory action and the substitution of safer alternatives. But what exactly are the EU’s plans?