Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Blog

The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) will hold a webinar on June 27, 2024, on “What’s Next in NanoEHS: Risk Assessment and Risk Management.” During the webinar, rising nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety (nanoEHS) experts Nathan Drew, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and Yueyang “Brian” Zhang, Vireo Advisors, LLC, will share their perspectives on the new tools, approaches, and models that are being developed to assess and manage...

On June 11, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published proposed significant new use rules (SNUR) for certain chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN) and are also subject to a TSCA Order, including multi-walled carbon nanotubes (generic) (P-21-216 and P-21-217). 89 Fed. Reg. 49121. The SNURs would require persons who intend to manufacture (including import) or process any of these chemical substances for an activity that is proposed as a...

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) continues to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC). NIOSH highlights NTRC activities in the risk assessment of engineered nanomaterials in a June 3, 2024, NIOSH Science blog item entitled “NIOSH Risk Assessment of Engineered Nanomaterials.” The item notes that NTRC risk assessments were used in developing NIOSH recommended exposure limits (REL) for three different classes of nanomaterials...

The European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) began a public consultation on May 27, 2024, on its preliminary opinion on a new coating for titanium dioxide (nano form). According to the preliminary opinion, SCCS concluded that: Comments are due July 22, 2024....

On May 23, 2024, the European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) published a document entitled “Scientific Advice on Titanium dioxide (TiO2).” The document includes the following questions from the EC and SCCS’s conclusions: Q: In light of the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) opinion on genotoxicity concerns for E171, does SCCS consider titanium dioxide safe in oral cosmetic products? A: From the provided information, SCCS notes that the titanium...

On April 29, 2024, the German Environment Agency (UBA) posted an item entitled “ZnO nanoforms – REACH substance evaluation: environmental aspects.” The Federal Office for Chemicals, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), and UBA have been conducting a Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) substance evaluation on the registered nanoforms of zinc oxide since 2017. According to the item, based on the studies submitted by the registrants,...

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a NIOSH Science Blog item on May 2, 2024, entitled “The Nanotechnology Research Center Carbon Nanotube Registry.” The NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC) maintains a Carbon Nanotube Registry, a roster of U.S. workers employed in various carbon nanotube industries. The item states that NIOSH developed the registry to help researchers better understand the average level and range of exposures in U.S. workplaces...

The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) invites proposals for upcoming studies aimed at addressing knowledge gaps for nanomaterials within the EU market, such as: EUON notes that studies are based on desk research and surveys and should not require laboratory research. EUON states that studies can cover nanomaterials in general, a specific nanomaterial, or a defined group of nanomaterials. EUON will make the outcome and study reports available on its website. Proposals are...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service announced on April 9, 2024, that ARS researchers published a study revealing the ability of cotton gin waste to synthesize and generate silver nanoparticles in the presence of silver ions. ARS states that cotton gin waste, also known as cotton gin trash, “is a byproduct of the cotton ginning process and occurs when the cotton fibers are separated from the seed boll.” Using a simple heat...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posted a research update on April 2, 2024, entitled “Advancing Environmental Safety: Celebrating 20 years of Nanotechnology Research at EPA.” The item states that EPA collaborates across federal and state governments, industry, and the international community on nano-related research. In addition to its in-house nanotechnology research, EPA supports nano-related research through external grant programs such as the Science to Achieve Results...