In France, under Decree No. 2012-232, companies that manufacture, import, and/or distribute a “substance with nanoparticle status” in an amount of at least 100 grams per year must submit an annual report with substance identity, quantity, and use information. According to the R-Nano website, managed by the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), the declaration form has evolved since 2022 to require the completion of certain fields in accordance...
April 12, 2023
USDA Researchers Develop Natural, Washable, Antimicrobial Cleaning Wipes Using Nanocomposite Raw Cotton Fiber
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on April 11, 2023, that its Agricultural Research Service (ARS) recently developed sustainable, machine-washable antimicrobial wipes that can be used at least 30 times for cleaning hard and nonporous surfaces. According to USDA, ARS researchers developed the antimicrobial wipes “by using raw cotton fiber that naturally produced silver nanoparticles inside the fiber in the presence of a silver precursor.” USDA states that the...
April 11, 2023
Paper Proposes Further Actions to Harmonize Testing of Nanomaterials for EU Regulatory Requirements
On April 6, 2023, NanoHarmony announced publication of a paper in Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology entitled “Towards harmonisation of testing of nanomaterials for EU regulatory requirements on chemical safety — A proposal for further actions.” The paper provides an overview of the information requirements across different European Union (EU) regulatory areas. For each information requirement, experts identified potential needs for further action to accommodate...
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published a request for information (RFI) on April 5, 2023, seeking public input in updating the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Research Strategy. 88 Fed. Reg. 20194. OSTP is soliciting public input from a wide variety of stakeholders, including individuals, industry, academia, research laboratories, nonprofits, and think tanks. OSTP states that it is interested in public input...
The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) will hold a public meeting May 31-June 1, 2023, to discuss the revision of the 2011 National Nanotechnology Initiative Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Strategy (EHS Research Strategy). NNI encourages individuals, non-governmental organizations (NGO), academic and research institutions, and the private sector interested in the responsible development of nanotechnology to attend and contribute to creating an updated EHS Research Strategy....
The European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) published its final opinion on hydroxyapatite (nano) on March 23, 2023. As reported in our April 13, 2021, blog item, SCCS released a final opinion in 2021 on the safety of hydroxyapatite (nano) when used in leave-on and rinse-off dermal and oral cosmetic products according to the maximum concentrations and specifications reported, taking into account reasonably foreseeable exposure...
March 21, 2023
EUON Posts Nanopinions on Graphene Electronic Tattoos and How to Monitor the Crystal Defect Structure in Nanomaterials
The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) has posted two Nanopinions: “Graphene Electronic Tattoos,” posted on February 20, 2023, by Dr. Dmitry Kireev. “Graphene Electronic Tattoos (GETs) are a type of skin-wearable electronic device that can be used for personalized healthcare by transmitting the bio-electrical activity of the human body in the measurable electrical signal. […] The GETs are optically transparent, lightweight, and flexible, making them adhere and...
March 16, 2023
EUON Issues Call for Study Proposals
The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) has issued a call for study proposals. EUON is looking for studies on: Questions related to the health and safety aspects of nanomaterials, including hazard and risk assessment, exposure to nanomaterials, or worker safety and protection; Specific issues surrounding the uses of nanomaterials; or Information about markets for nanomaterials (e.g., the market for specific materials such as graphene or specific market sectors)....
March 10, 2023
OECD Webinar on TG No. 125: Nanomaterial Particle Size and Size Distribution of Nanomaterials Available for Replay
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) held a webinar on February 7, 2023, to present the methods described in Test Guideline (TG) No. 125 to determine the size and size distributions of nanomaterial particles and fibers spanning from one nanometer (nm) to 1,000 nm. It also presented the use and limitations of this TG, as well as of the validation exercise that was done to support its development. OECD organized the webinar to increase awareness of the newly adopted...
March 9, 2023
NIA Posts Recording of Antimicrobial Treatment Webinar
The Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA) has posted a recording of its March 6, 2023, webinar on “Nano in Action: Antimicrobial Treatment.” The webinar explored a topic where relevance has been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, but that has long been on the to-do list of the public building and transport sectors. Subjects covered included the current cleaning and sanitation protocols of public spaces; the kind of nano-based solutions available to meet this need; and how to measure...