Matthew (Matt) Harney, Ph.D., specializes in chemical and regulatory issues. He works closely with our attorneys to help clients that are focusing on the commercialization of new chemicals and product compliance under the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), EU Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), the Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999 (CEPA), and other chemical control systems around the world. Matt is experienced in the classification and labeling of substances and mixtures under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Hazard Communications (HazCom), and EU Classification, Labelling, and Packaging (CLP) regulations. He also advises on risk assessments, fate and exposure modeling, product testing, chemical monitoring, and other technical aspects of compliance with environmental health and safety regulations, California Proposition 65, and in support of environmental marketing claims.
Matt conducts large-scale TSCA compliance audits for clients, frequently covering thousands of product formulations, leading to the identification, disclosure, and correction of dozens of compliance issues, saving clients millions of dollars in liability. He has also prepared dozens of premanufacture notices (PMNs), and has worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on many cases to ensure that any regulation of a substance is as least burdensome as possible, allowing clients to bring new products to market without overly restrictive conditions. In many cases, Matt’s thorough understanding of chemical nomenclature and Inventory representation has allowed clients to avoid filing costly notices from the outset through alternate representation of the substances or minor changes to the formulations. Matt also has extensive experience with EU REACH matters and has addressed the General Court of the European Union in Luxembourg as a technical expert in a persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic/very persistent and very bioaccumulative (PBT/vPvB) restriction case.
Matt’s areas of expertise include polymer science, coatings, organic/organometallic chemistry, and chemical nomenclature. He is adept at navigating the evolving regulatory landscape of emerging industrial areas such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, and alternative fuels.
Prior to joining Keller and Heckman, Matt worked in the aerospace and defense sector, conducting research and field tests concerning explosives detection and sensor development.
After receiving his Ph.D. in chemistry, Matt conducted postdoctoral research in materials science and chemical/biological weapons defense at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.