Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Blog

The February 2024 issue of Nature Nanotechnology includes an article entitled “How nanoparticles are counted in global regulatory nanomaterial definitions.” Authored by Kirsten Rasmussen, Juan Riego Sintes, and Hubert Rauscher, European Commission (EC) Joint Research Center (JRC), the article examines differences between the definitions in various jurisdictions and how to achieve a global definition. The jurisdictions reviewed include Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development...

The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) is organizing a series of National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) webinars on nanometrology, metrological challenges, and recent advances in three topical areas: food, agriculture, and environment; nanoscale medical and pharmaceutical products; and electronics. Registration is open for the third webinar in the series, Nanoscale Medical and Pharmaceutical Products, which will be held March 1, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. (EST). The webinar will...

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published the latest edition of the Developments in Delegations on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials and Advanced Materials — Tour de Table. The Tour de Table compiles information provided by delegations on the occasion of the 23rd meeting of the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN) in June 2023. The Tour de Table lists U.S. developments on the human health and environmental safety of...

On February 1, 2024, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a NIOSH Science Blog item entitled “NIOSH Global Collaborations on Workplace Safety of Nanomaterials.” According to the blog item, NIOSH’s global collaboration efforts “build on the strong NIOSH [Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC)] research and guidance efforts contributing to the global technical information and guidance about protecting workers and aim to facilitate international...

The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) announced on February 5, 2024, that the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published two new ex-ante publicity notices for two service contracts:...

The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) is organizing a series of National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) webinars on nanometrology, metrological challenges, and recent advances in three topical areas: food, agriculture, and environment; nanoscale medical and pharmaceutical products; and electronics. Registration is open for the second webinar in the series, Nanometrology for Food, Agriculture, and Environment, which will be held February 2, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. (EST). The...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has commissioned, as part of the activities of the European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON), a study on the collection and review of information on nanomaterial-based and nano-enabled plant protection products, biocidal products, and fertilizing products. The study includes a systematic literature and documentary review on nanoforms of (active) substances and delivery systems of the corresponding formulations used in biocidal products, plant...

Nano4EARTH will hold a roundtable discussion on January 24, 2024, on nanotechnology-enabled catalysts that could help achieve climate goals. The discussion aims to identify fundamental knowledge gaps, needs, and opportunities to advance current climate mitigation goals through the use of nanocatalysts in industrial processes. According to the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), by convening stakeholders from different sectors, backgrounds, and expertise, the goal of the roundtable “is to...

The Malta Initiative is conducting a survey to collect input on priorities where the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Test Guidelines (TG) and Guidance Documents (GD) need actions to make them applicable to nanomaterials and other advanced materials. The survey includes a preliminary list of suggested topics. Respondents can choose specific topics upon which to comment. The survey will close January 12, 2024. According to the NanoSafety Cluster (NSC), the Malta...

On January 3, 2024, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a NIOSH Science Blog item entitled “Looking to the Past and the Future of NIOSH Nanotechnology Guidance.” As the NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC) celebrates its 20th anniversary, it is looking back over two decades of published guidance to help reduce worker exposures to engineered nanomaterials and discussing the needs for future research efforts. The NTRC Strategic Plan NIOSH published...