Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Blog

The Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA), a “cross-sectoral, responsible voice for nanotechnology value chains and the global commercial eco-system,” hosts frequent webinars and then posts the webinars on its YouTube channel.  On May 7, 2019, NIA held a webinar on “Nano in Action:  Nanosafety.”  Participants heard about the latest research and support tools intended to advance the development of safe materials from speakers involved in human and environmental safety research...

On April 29, 2019, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) announced InnoMat.Life, a joint research project to establish criteria for an efficient assessment of the human health and environmental risks of novel (nano) materials.  The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is providing 2.22 million euro to fund the project, which will be coordinated by BfR and includes ten partners from public authorities, academia, and industry.  BfR states that until now, nanosafety...

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) April 2019 issue of its Chemical Safety and Biosafety Progress Report includes an update on OECD’s work to determine the safety of manufactured nanomaterials.  The Report notes that the applicability of OECD Test Guidelines for nanomaterials continues to be a major concern of the work of the Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN).  WPMN agreed to work on three new projects related to testing...

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published standard ISO/TS 21361:2019, “Nanotechnologies — Method to quantify air concentrations of carbon black and amorphous silica in the nanoparticle size range in a mixed dust manufacturing environment.”  The standard provides guidelines to quantify and identify particles of carbon black and/or amorphous silica in air samples collected in a mixed dust industrial manufacturing environment.  The guidelines describe air sample...

On March 5-6, 2019, a workshop on “Fostering EU‐U.S. Cooperation in Nanosafety” was held.  According to the workshop report, the workshop intended to answer two main questions: The discussion was based on the state of implementation of the 2013 report, Nanosafety in Europe 2015‐2025:  Towards Safe and Sustainable Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology Innovations, and current nanosafety activities coordinated by U.S. federal agencies participating in the U.S. National...

An Advisory Group of 29 scientists from 18 countries met on March 25-27, 2019, to recommend priorities for the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs program during 2020-2024.  The Advisory Group assessed the response to a public call for nominations and considered more than 170 unique candidate agents, including the recommended priorities remaining from a similar Advisory Group meeting convened in 2014.  The Advisory Group deliberated on all nominated agents both by...

On April 23, 2019, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a Federal Register notice inviting comment on a proposed information collection project entitled “Survey of Engineered Nanomaterial Occupational Safety and Health Practices.”  The goal of the project is to assess the relevance and impact of NIOSH’s contribution to guidelines and risk mitigation practices for the safe handling of engineered nanomaterials in the workplace. ...

On May 16, 2019, the American Chemical Society (ACS) will hold a webinar on working safely with nanomaterials in the laboratory.  Chuck Geraci, Associate Director for Emerging Technologies at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), will moderate a panel including: The panel will discuss the importance of managing products containing nanomaterials by integrating them into an existing lab safety program.  During this free interactive broadcast, they...

On April 18, 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a Federal Register notice announcing that it is extending the comment period for its February 26, 2019, proposed rule that would put into effect a final monograph for nonprescription, over-the-counter (OTC) sunscreen drug products.  The proposed rule describes the conditions under which FDA proposes that OTC sunscreen monograph products are generally recognized as safe and effective (GRASE) and not...

On April 17, 2019, the Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition issued a press release announcing that France will prohibit foods containing food additive E171 (titanium dioxide) from being placed on the market beginning January 1, 2020.  The press release cites the April 15, 2019, opinion from the Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail (ANSES).  The expert group established by ANSES conducted a literature review on the...

The NanoBusiness Commercialization Association (NanoBCA) will hold its 18th Annual NanoBusiness Conference on June 4, 2019, in Washington, D.C.  Speakers will include:...

On January 22-24, 2019, a Mexico-European Union (EU) workshop on nanosafety was held in Mexico.  The aim of the workshop was to establish a stronger connection between the Mexican and European research communities within the context of bringing scientific information to the risk assessment, risk management, and policy levels.  According to the workshop report, Mexico is eligible to participate in the EU’s Horizon 2020 and Ninth EU Framework Programs, and the January workshop was...

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) held a stakeholder workshop on April 1-2, 2019, on the implementation of its guidance on the risk assessment of applications of nanosciences and nanotechnologies in the food and feed chain.  As reported in our July 5, 2018, blog item, “EFSA Publishes New Guidance on Nanotechnologies in Food and Feed,” in July 2018, EFSA published new guidance on how to assess the safety of nanoscience and nanotechnology applications. ...

TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Expo will be held June 17-19, 2019.  It will include the third installment of a panel started three years ago, “Tools and Techniques:  Applying the Best Health, Safety, and Environment Practices to Advanced Manufacturing.”  The Symposium Co-Chairs include: The key speakers include:...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has posted the draft version of a guidance document, Appendix for nanoforms applicable to the Guidance on Registration and substance identification.  The draft guidance is being reviewed by a Partner Expert Group (PEG).  The draft Appendix has been developed to provide advice to registrants preparing registration dossiers that cover nanoforms.  It states that the advice provided covers nanospecific advice for issues related with registration and...

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s (Cal/OSHA) Health Effects Advisory Committee (HEAC) for the Development of Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL) will meet on June 4, 2019.  According to the meeting agenda, HEAC will discuss the selection of Priority 1 substances for HEAC review.  HEAC has posted a draft 2019 Priority 1 List consisting of ten chemical substances.  The draft List includes titanium dioxide, ultrafine (<100 nanometers...

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published standard ISO/TR 19733:2019, “Nanotechnologies — Matrix of properties and measurement techniques for graphene and related two-dimensional (2D) materials.”  ISO states that since graphene was discovered in 2004, it has become one of the most attractive materials in application research and device industry due to its supreme material properties such as mechanical strength, stiffness and elasticity, high electrical and...

Registration is available for the National Nanotechnology Initiative’s (NNI) April 9, 2019, webinar on “Characterization and Quantification of Engineered Nanomaterials:  Drivers of NanoEHS Research.”  The speaker will be Dr. Robert MacCuspie, Natural Immunogenics Corp., and Dr. Debra Kaiser, National Institute of Standards and Technology, will moderate.  The webinar will examine the significant progress in characterization and measurement of engineered...

The March 18, 2019, episode of the National Nanotechnology Initiative’s (NNI) podcast series, “Stories from the NNI,” is a conservation with Dr. Chuck Geraci, Associate Director for Emerging Technologies at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).  Dr. Lisa Friedersdorf, Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), and Dr. Geraci discuss how NIOSH works with industry to ensure workplace safety, the progress that has been made in the...

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) published a March 19, 2019, Federal Register notice announcing that it will hold a public hearing on May 1, 2019, to receive views from all interested parties about the CPSC’s agenda and priorities for fiscal years (FY) 2020, which begins on October 1, 2019, and 2021, which begins on October 1, 2020.  CPSC seeks comment on the following questions: CPSC’s 2018-2022 Strategic Plan notes that CPSC...

The National Nanotechnology Initiative’s (NNI) 2019 public webinar series on the environmental, health, and safety effects of nanomaterials (nanoEHS) will begin on April 9, 2019, at 12:00 p.m. (EDT) with a presentation by Dr. Robert MacCuspie (Natural Immunogenics Corp.) on “Characterization and Quantification of Engineered Nanomaterials:  Drivers of NanoEHS Research.”  Upcoming webinars will include “Environmental, Health, and Safety Resources for Handling, Transporting, and...

On March 15, 2019, the European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) published its preliminary opinion on the solubility of synthetic amorphous silica (SAS).  The EC asked whether the SCCS considers that SAS are soluble (100 milligram per liter (mg/L) or higher) or degradable/non-persistent in biological systems in light of the nanomaterial definition of the Cosmetics Regulation.  Having considered the data provided in this dossier and that available...

The 2019 U.S.-European Union (EU) NanoEHS Communities of Research (COR) Workshop will take place October 15-16, 2019, at the Europole de l’Arbois in Aix en Provence, France.  The workshop is organized by the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) and the European Commission (EC).  The agenda for the October 2018 Bridging NanoEHS Research Efforts Joint Workshop and the following presentations are available:...

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published standard ISO/TR 21386, “Nanotechnologies — Considerations for the measurement of nano-objects and their aggregates and agglomerates (NOAA) in environmental matrices.”  The standard provides some considerations for the collection of environmental samples to be analyzed for manufactured NOAA, considerations to distinguish manufactured NOAA from background levels of naturally occurring nanoscale particles of the same...

The European Commission’s (EC) Joint Research Center (JRC) opens its scientific laboratories and facilities, including its Nanobiotechnology Laboratory, to people working in academia and research organizations, industry, and small and medium enterprises (SME).  JRC opened a call on February 1, 2019, for the Nanobiotechnology Laboratory for the following priority topics: The call ends on May 3, 2019. JRC opened a call on March 4, 2019, for the following training...

The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) announced on February 28, 2019, that it is planning a number of activities to celebrate the 15-year anniversary of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI).  Upcoming events will include:...

The February 2019 issue of the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) Newsletter includes an interview with Eva Valsami-Jones, Professor of Environmental Nanoscience at the University of Birmingham and leader of the European Union (EU) NanoSafety Cluster Coordination Team, on research on the safety of nanomaterials.  The NanoSafety Cluster coordinates the funding of research projects at the European level that address the safety aspects of nanomaterials and the related...

On February 21, 2019, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) posted a report entitled Science & Technology Highlights in the Second Year of the Trump Administration.  The report highlights science and technology achievements, including the following under “R&D Fundamentals”: Supporting and celebrating key advances in nanotechnology.  In December, OSTP’s National Nanotechnology Coordination Office celebrated the 15-year anniversary of the...

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is scheduled to publish a proposed rule in the Federal Register on February 26, 2019, that would put into effect a final monograph for nonprescription, over-the-counter (OTC) sunscreen drug products.  The proposed rule describes the conditions under which FDA proposes that OTC sunscreen monograph products are generally recognized as safe and effective (GRASE) and not misbranded.  FDA notes that it has not established...

On February 18, 2019, the European Union (EU) NanoSafety Cluster (NSC) announced that it is supporting the Malta Initiative by linking various projects with activities developed within the Malta Initiative.  According to NSC’s website, the Malta Initiative began in 2017, when Germany approached the EU Directorate-General (DG) for Research and Innovation to request political and financial support to develop and amend Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development...

The February 2019 issue of Computational Toxicology includes an article entitled “Grouping of multi-walled carbon nanotubes to read-across genotoxicity:  A case study to evaluate the applicability of regulatory guidance.”  The article describes a case study, performed by scientists at the European Commission’s (EC) Joint Research Center (JRC), to explore and illustrate read-across of genotoxicity data by following the “Recommendations for nanomaterials applicable to the Guidance on...

The European Commission’s (EC) Joint Research Center (JRC) published on February 13, 2019, a report entitled An overview of concepts and terms used in the European Commission’s definition of nanomaterial.  The report supports the implementation of the EC’s Recommendation on a definition of nanomaterial (2011/696/EU).  It addresses the definition’s key concepts and terms and discusses them in a regulatory context.  Corresponding to the broad scope of the definition, the report states...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on January 30, 2019, that it has submitted a restriction proposal for microplastic particles that are intentionally added to mixtures used by consumers or professionals.  According to ECHA, if adopted, the restriction could reduce the amount of microplastics released to the environment in the European Union (EU) “by about 400 thousand tonnes over 20 years.”  ECHA states that its assessment found that intentionally added...

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will hold a stakeholder workshop on nanoscience and nanotechnology on April 1-2, 2019, in Parma, Italy.  As reported in our July 5, 2018, blog item, “EFSA Publishes New Guidance on Nanotechnologies in Food and Feed,” in July 2018, EFSA published new guidance on how to assess the safety of nanoscience and nanotechnology applications.  The guidance covers novel foods, food contact materials, food and feed additives, and pesticides, taking into...

The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) provides information on nanomaterials to a wide audience on subjects including safety, innovation, and research.  It also covers the existing EU legislation on nanomaterials and the presence and uses of specific substances on the EU market.  EUON is currently conducting a survey to allow stakeholders to express their views on how EUON is performing and how it could be developed to meet their needs better.  EUON is funded by...

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH®) Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances (TLV®-CS) Committee has included carbon nanotubes on its 2019 list of chemical substances and other issues under study.  Being placed on the under study list indicates that the TLV®-CS Committee has selected carbon nanotubes for development of a threshold limit value (TLV®).  ACGIH® describes TLVs® as health-based values representing the...

On January 24, 2019, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a document entitled Continuing to Protect the Nanotechnology Workforce:  NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Plan for 2018-2025.  NIOSH is using the Nanotechnology Research Plan for fiscal years (FY) 2018-2025 as a roadmap to advance:  (1) understanding of nanotechnology-related toxicology and workplace exposures; and (2) implementation of appropriate risk management practices...

On January 9, 2019, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) announced a three-month delay in its enforcement of the Household Cleansing Product Information Disclosure Program (Disclosure Program), from July 1, 2019, to October 1, 2019.  NYSDEC published its announcement in the January 9, 2019, Environmental Notice Bulletin.  As reported in our June 8, 2018, blog item, the Disclosure Program requires manufacturers of cleaning...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on December 19, 2018, that it published several new substance evaluation conclusion documents, including one for silver.  Silver was added to the Community Rolling Action Plan (CoRAP) list in 2014 and evaluated by the Netherlands.  According to the substance evaluation conclusion and evaluation report, silver was originally selected for substance evaluation to clarify concerns about nanoparticles/ecotoxicity of different forms of the...

The European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) published on January 14, 2019, a statement and a position paper on emerging health and environmental issues.  SCHEER identified and prioritized 14 emerging issues to bring to the attention of the EC services, including: The position paper on emerging issues and the role of SCHEER describes how SCHEER draws the attention of the EC services to emerging issues in the...

The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) conducts up to three studies annually.  The studies are intended to address knowledge gaps relating to nanomaterials that are of interest to the general public and the research community.  EUON announced on January 14, 2019, that it is now looking for topic suggestions that could be addressed in its upcoming studies.  EUON is looking for studies that address: EUON states that the scope of the study can be on...

The Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA) will hold a webinar on January 24, 2019, on “Nano in Business:  Commercialization of nanomaterials.”  This is the first webinar in NIA’s “Nano in Business” series, which is dedicated to the roadmap to commercial success for nanomaterials.  This includes not only the launch of companies, but also successfully bringing materials to market at a production volume that allows supply to match demand reliably.  The first webinar will focus...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and its consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®) published on January 8, 2019, our “Forecast for U.S. Federal and International Chemical Regulatory Policy 2019.”  In this richly detailed document, the legal, scientific, and regulatory professionals of B&C and Acta distill key trends in U.S. and global chemical law and provide our best informed judgment as to the shape of key developments we are likely to see in 2019.  This edition...

The December 2018 issue of the Journal of Nanoparticle Research includes an article entitled “A survey on the state of nanosafety research in the European Union and the United States.”  According to the abstract, the authors surveyed researchers in the field of environmental safety and health of nanomaterials between September 2017 and January 2018 to obtain a snapshot on the state of investigations.  The data received from 84 respondents provide information on exposure pathways,...

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has posted the transcript for the October 30, 2018, webinar on its revised draft document entitled Current Intelligence Bulletin:  Health Effects of Occupational Exposure to Silver Nanomaterials.  As reported in our September 19, 2018, blog item, the revised draft Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) provides an updated scientific literature review of information pertaining to occupational exposure to silver nanomaterials....

In December 2018, the International Standardization Organization (ISO) published standard SO/TS 16195:2018, “Nanotechnologies — Specification for developing representative test materials consisting of nano-objects in dry powder form.”  The standard specifies development of representative test materials consisting of nano-objects in dry powder form to enable test method development and improve comparability of data for nanotechnology applications.  The standard specifies that for...

On December 7, 2018, the Occupational Cancer Research Center (OCRC) held a seminar on “Perspectives on Mitigating Exposures to Engineered Nanomaterials in the Workplace.”  The seminar was part of the Occupational and Environmental Health seminar series supported by the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Public Health Ontario, OCRC, and the Center for Research Expertise in Occupational Disease.  Pat Rasmussen, Health Canada/University of Ottawa, gave the presentation, addressing:...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice on December 7, 2018, withdrawing significant new use rules (SNUR) promulgated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for 28 chemical substances, including single-walled carbon nanotubes, that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN).  As reported in our October 10, 2018, blog item, EPA issued the SNURs through a direct final rule on October 10, 2018.  EPA states that it...

The European Commission (EC) announced on December 3, 2018, that it adopted amendments to several Annexes of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation to clarify the information requirements for nanomaterials.  The EC notes that REACH “has always applied to nanomaterials, but did not contain specific provisions for them, which is why companies often did not know how to register these ‘substances in nanoform.’”...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is scheduled to publish a Federal Register notice on December 4, 2018, withdrawing significant new use rules (SNUR) promulgated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for 26 chemical substances, including carbon nanomaterial (generic), that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN).  As reported in our October 2, 2018, blog item, EPA issued the SNURs through a direct final rule on October 3, 2018.  EPA states that it received...