Blogs

On December 22, 2021, the Swedish National Platform for Nanosafety (SweNanoSafe) announced the availability of the executive summary for a report entitled “Toward Safe and Sustainable Nanotechnology Innovation.” SweNanoSafe and researchers from the Action Research Center for a Resilient Society, Sari Scheinberg and Sverker Alänge, commissioned a study to contribute to knowledge and understanding, to create new ways of meeting, and to gather information on how...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to provide our Forecast 2022 to Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Blog readers, offering our best informed judgment as to the trends and key developments we expect to see in the new year. On October 8, 2021, the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) announced the release of the 2021 National Nanotechnology Initiative Strategic Plan, outlining the goals, objectives, and actions for the National Nanotechnology...

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Ligia Duarte Botelho, M.A.   On December 7, 2021, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published a study titled: “A Chemicals Perspective on Designing with Sustainable Plastics: Goals, Considerations and Trade-offs.” The study builds on considerations from a similar OECD report from 2018 by analyzing four sector-specific case studies on insulation, flooring, biscuit wrappers, and detergent bottles. To produce...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on December 28, 2021, it is granting a petition from six North Carolina public health and environmental justice organizations filed under Section 21 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to compel companies to conduct testing of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The previous Administration denied the petition on January 22, 2021. 86 Fed. Reg. 6602. The petition sought issuance of a rule or order under TSCA...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on December 27, 2021, that it is expanding the scope of Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reporting requirements to include certain contract sterilization facilities that are not currently reporting on ethylene oxide releases. EPA states that under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), “the EPA Administrator has the discretionary authority to extend TRI reporting requirements to specific facilities based on a...

By Lynn L. Bergeson   On December 13, 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the availability of $54 million in seed funding for U.S. small businesses to research, develop, and create commercialization action plans for new technologies that accelerate the national transition to a clean energy economy. Led by DOE’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, the opportunity provides that applicants may receive up...

On December 21, 2021, the European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) published a Nanopinion entitled “ACEnano: Goodbye, Hello” by Dr. Eugenia Valsami-Jones about Project ACEnano, a Horizon2020 project that recently completed its 4.5-year course. The project’s main goal was to strengthen clarity into nanomaterial risk assessment using a tiered approach to the physicochemical characterization of nanomaterials. Valsami-Jones describes the analytical solutions produced by...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reopened the online dockets for 20 high-priority substances. According to the December 9, 2021, memorandum authorizing the re-opening of the dockets, EPA is re-opening these dockets to receive use, hazard, exposure, and any other information that can help inform their risk evaluations. Information must be submitted by June 9, 2022, when EPA will close the dockets. Information submitted to the docket should be identified by the...

On December 17, 2021, Canada published the Chemicals Management Plan implementation table for 2021-2024. Under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), Canada plans to take the following actions regarding nanomaterials on the Domestic Substances List (DSL): prioritization of substances in commerce according to responses to the CEPA Section 71 Survey and screening assessment of high-priority nanomaterials on the DSL. The deliverables include: Publish a draft Framework for...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) is accepting public comments on candidates under consideration for selection as ad hoc reviewers assisting the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) with their review of the draft EPA Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Screening Level Approach for Assessing Ambient Air and Water Exposures to Fenceline Communities. EPA will use the comments to assist it in selecting approximately...