Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Blog

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently published two guidance documents in its series on testing and assessment: Guidance Document on Aquatic and Sediment Toxicological Testing of Nanomaterials (No. 317): The guidance document addresses practical aspects of carrying out valid tests with manufactured nanomaterials, as well as modifications or additions to OECD Test Guideline procedures intended to improve incrementally the accuracy, intra-laboratory...

The July 2020 issue of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Environmental Factor includes an item on a new database that facilitates nanomaterial research.  According to the article, NIEHS grantees constructed PubVINAS, “a large database of structure, chemical property, and activity information on 705 nanomaterials, covering 11 material types.”  The article states that the extensive data on each material “allows scientists...

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published two nanotechnology standards: ISO 21363:2020, “Nanotechnologies — Measurements of particle size and shape distributions by transmission electron microscopy”: The standard specifies how to capture, measure, and analyze transmission electron microscopy images to obtain particle size and shape distributions in the nanoscale.  According to ISO, the standard is broadly applicable to nano-objects, as well as to particles...

In July 2020, the German Environment Agency (UBA) published a report entitled Advanced materials:  Overview of the field and screening criteria for relevance assessment.  The report describes activities within the project “Advanced materials — Thematic conferences:  Assessment of needs to act on chemical safety” to provide discussion input on approaches to describe, cluster, and prioritize advanced materials.  The aim of the report is to identify relevant advanced...

On June 25, 2020, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC) Program Performance One-Pager (PPOP).  NTRC conducts research to understand the potential effects on human health of exposure to engineered nanomaterials (ENM) and develops methods to control or eliminate exposures.  According to the PPOP, NTRC’s accomplishments include conducting a survey to gather information about companies’ safety and...

On June 30, 2020, from 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. (EDT), the European Union (EU) NanoSafety Cluster will hold a webinar on “Immune response from occupational exposure to CNTs and nanofibres.”  The following speakers will discuss work at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) on the association of occupational exposure with ex vivo functional immune response in workers handling carbon nanotubes and...

The U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) will hold a webinar on June 24, 2020, on “Advances in self-powered wearable sensors:  A biofuel-powered electronic skin.”  NNI states that the development and commercialization of self-powered, battery-free sensors with wireless capabilities would represent a significant step toward meeting the requirements for next-generation biosensors, medical devices, and robotics.  Dr. Wei Gao, California Institute of Technology, will...

The Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA) will hold a webinar on July 7, 2020, on “Introducing the NanoHarmony project.”  Funded through Horizon 2020, NanoHarmony began on April 1, 2020.  NanoHarmony brings together 14 expert partners from ten European countries and will work alongside the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to support the development of test guidelines and guidance documents for...

On May 26, 2020, the European Union (EU) NanoSafety Cluster announced the publication of the final report of the (nano) TiO2 safety communication Task Force.  The goal of the task force was to provide scientific input to the ongoing classification of titanium dioxide (TiO2).  The Task Force ran from January 2018 to January 2019, collecting information regarding the classification of TiO2 and information on TiO2 hazard potential from available...

The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) announced on May 20, 2020, that a recent study has analyzed existing research on whether nanomaterials used in consumer products and at workplaces are absorbed through the skin.  The study was commissioned by EUON and carried out by the RPA consortium of Triskelion and the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).  According to EUON, the study found that the lack of standardized,...

On April 12, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) published Environmental Health Criteria 244:  Principles and methods to assess the risk of immunotoxicity associated with exposure to nanomaterials.  WHO states that the document presents an overview of the current knowledge and evidence on principles and basic mechanisms of immunotoxicity caused by engineered nanomaterials (ENM).  The document provides guidance on principles and methods for hazard and risk assessment of...

As reported in our April 8, 2020, blog item, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies) published a prepublication copy of A Quadrennial Review of the National Nanotechnology Initiative:  Nanoscience, Applications, and Commercialization.  The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) asked the National Academies to form an ad hoc committee to conduct a quadrennial review of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)...

On May 4, 2022, NanoHarmony will hold a webinar in its series of webinars covering the different phases that an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) test guideline (TG) progresses through during its journey from a science-based initial idea through to use by industry to fulfill regulatory obligations. This webinar will cover phases 2 and 3 of the TG process, technical development and commenting and approval. Speakers will include: Chair Claus Svendsen, United Kingdom...

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published standard ISO/TS 11308:2020, “Nanotechnologies — Characterization of carbon nanotube samples using thermogravimetric analysis.” The standard provides guidelines for the characterization of carbon nanotube (CNT)-containing samples by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), performed in either an inert or oxidizing environment. The standard offers guidance on the purity assessment of the CNT samples through a quantitative...

The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) posted an article on April 6, 2020, announcing the availability of a study that found a lack of data on female fertility.  The study, A critical review of studies on the reproductive and developmental toxicity of nanomaterials, was commissioned by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and carried out by DHI A/S and the Danish National Research Center for the Working Environment.  The scope of this project was to...

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies) have published a prepublication copy of A Quadrennial Review of the National Nanotechnology Initiative:  Nanoscience, Applications, and Commercialization.  The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) asked the National Academies to form an ad hoc committee to conduct a quadrennial review of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) pursuant to the 2003 21st Century...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published a proposed rule on April 1, 2020, that would amend the significant new use rules (SNUR) for certain chemical substances that were the subject of a premanufacture notice (PMN) and a significant new use notice (SNUN), including functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) (generic).  85 Fed. Reg. 18173.  This action would amend the SNURs to allow certain new uses reported in the SNUNs without additional notification...

On March 30, 2020, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) released a “Nano Matters” podcast episode on “Improving Pesticide Use with Nanotechnology.”  In the episode, Cristina Sabliov, Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Louisiana State University, explains how nanotechnology can improve pesticide delivery.  She discusses her work on a polymeric nanoparticle delivery system that could reduce the environmental impact of pesticides.  “Nano...

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published standard ISO/TS 19808:2020, “Nanotechnologies — Carbon nanotube suspensions — Specification of characteristics and measurement methods.”  The standard specifies the characteristics to be measured of suspensions containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (carbon nanotube suspensions).  The standard includes the essential and additional characteristics of the carbon nanotube suspension, and the corresponding...

On January 28, 2020, the European Union (EU) published The NanoDefine Methods Manual, a collection of three Joint Research Center (JRC) reports developed within the NanoDefine project “Development of an integrated approach based on validated and standardized methods to support the implementation of the EC recommendation for a definition of nanomaterial.”  According to the Manual, the overall goal of the NanoDefine project was to support the implementation of the European Commission...

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH®) Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances (TLV®-CS) Committee has included carbon nanotubes on its 2020 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...

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) published a Federal Register notice on January 31, 2020, announcing that the Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC) will meet on February 21, 2020.  During the meeting, BSC will review and provide advice on programmatic activities.  According to the preliminary agenda for the meeting, the meeting will include a presentation by Dr. Anil Patri, Food and Drug Administration, National Center for Toxicological Research,...

On January 24, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posted a December 13, 2019, memorandum to Docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0370, the nanosilver registration review docket.  The memorandum lists the 12 products for which EPA issued a generic data call-in (GDCI) as part of the nanosilver case (5042).  EPA issued the DCIs on August 31, 2019, and states that they can be accessed in the docket. EPA Reg. NumberPC CodeNano-Naming IDDCI Number83587-3072591Nanosilver...

The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) is scheduled to publish on January 27, 2020, a Federal Register notice concerning public meetings under the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI).  According to the notice, the NNCO will hold one or more workshops, webinars, networks, and Community of Interest teleconferences between the publication date of the Federal Register notice and December 31, 2020.  Attendance information, including...

We are pleased to announce that Lynn L. Bergeson will present at the 9th Nano Conference hosted by the Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (SNO) and Nanotechnology, Occupational and Environmental Health (NanOEH) Committee.  Abstracts for the October 4-6, 2020, Conference are due March 6, 2020.  As reported in our December 9, 2019, blog item, the Conference will address: Green/advanced synthetic materials and manufacturing; Nanomedicine, nanodrugs,...

On January 3, 2020, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) announced that it is expanding its podcast offerings in 2020.  The three podcast series will consist of interviews between Dr. Lisa Friedersdorf, Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), and various experts, and will explore nanotechnology from three different perspectives: Stories from the NNI, a series that began in 2019, features conversations with experts from the NNI community who...

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has announced a call for abstract submissions for oral presentations, posters, and poster pitches at its colloquium on “A coordinated approach to assess the human health risks of micro- and nanoplastics in food,” which will be held in Lisbon on June 8-9, 2020.  EFSA states that “[m]icroplastics are small particles of plastic less than 5mm in size; nanoplastics are even smaller, ranging from 1 to 100 nanometres (N.B. 1 nanometre equals...

On December 11, 2019, the European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) published a Nanopinion entitled “The innovator, the regulator and the citizen — building public trust through transparent, empowered and safe innovation.”  Carlos Eduardo Lima da Cunha, the European Commission (EC), explains how the EU is supporting safe by design approaches to new technologies such as nanomaterials to deliver safer products to the market.  Lima da Cunha notes that the EU has...

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published standard ISO 20814:2019, “Nanotechnologies — Testing the photocatalytic activity of nanoparticles for NADH oxidation.”  The standard specifies a method for the measurement of the photocatalytic activity (PCA) of nanoparticles (NP), suspended in an aqueous environment in physiologically relevant conditions, by measuring the ultraviolet (UV)-induced nicotine adenine dinucleotide hydrate (NADH) oxidation. ...

On December 5, 2019, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) announced that the NTP Technical Report on the Toxicity Studies of 1020 Long Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Administered by Inhalation to Sprague Dawley (Hsd:Sprague Dawley® SD®) Rats and B6C3F1/N Mice is now available.  In 2003, the Rice University Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology nominated nanoscale materials as a class of substances for toxicological evaluation.  The recommended...

On November 25, 2019, the European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) announced the publication of a study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology entitled “Unpredictable Nanoparticle Retention in Commonly Used Plastic Syringes Introduces Dosage Uncertainties That May Compromise the Accuracy of Nanomedicine and Nanotoxicology Studies.”  The researchers in the study radiolabeled a variety of different nanoparticles, loaded suspensions of particles into different plastic...

On September 24 – 26, 2019, the European Commission’s (EC) Joint Research Center (JRC) hosted the 2019 Global Summit on Regulatory Science (GSRS19), which focused on nanotechnology and nanoplastics.  Co-organized with the Global Coalition for Regulatory Science Research, GSRS19 covered nanotechnology research and its role in enhancing regulatory decision making, including methods, standards, and applications.  In addition, GSRS19 also introduced methods and approaches to...

Registration has begun for the National Nanotechnology Initiative’s (NNI) November 12, 2019, webinar, “Global Harmonization of Nanoinformatics:  A Case Study in Convergence and Team Science.”  The webinar, part of NNI’s 2019 series on the environmental, health, and safety effects of nanomaterials (nanoEHS), “will share how engaged and collaborative communities in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere have provided an infrastructure capable of supporting sustainable design of...

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published standard ISO/TS 21236-1:2019, “Nanotechnologies — Clay nanomaterials — Part 1:  Specification of characteristics and measurement methods for layered clay nanomaterials.”  The standard specifies characteristics to be measured of layered clay nanomaterials in powder form and chemically modified ones and describes their relevant measurement methods.  According to the standard abstract, there are...

The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) announced on October 15, 2019, that it seeks topics that could be addressed in upcoming studies.  EUON conducts up to three studies annually that are intended to address knowledge gaps on nanomaterials that are of interest to the general public and the research community.  EUON states that it is looking for studies that address: Questions relating to the health and safety of nanomaterials, including hazard and risk...

On October 7, 2019, the European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) published a Nanopinion by Lise Bitsch, Governing Nanotechnologies through Societal Engagement (GoNano), entitled “Strengthening societal engagement with nanotechnologies.”  Bitsch presents several arguments for why actors in the research and innovation world of nanotechnologies and other key enabling technologies should care about societal engagement.  Bitsch also explains what societal engagement is...

The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) has created a Nanopinion section, where it invites views from different contributors ranging from policy-makers and authorities to industry and civil society on their work and priorities related to nanomaterials on the EU market.  The first item, posted on September 16, 2019, is “EUON:  past, present and future,” written by Bjorn Hansen, Executive Director of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).  As reported in our...

The September 10, 2019, issue of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Science Matters newsletter includes an article entitled “Keeping up with 3D Printing:  EPA Researchers Build on New Plastic Emissions Study.”  According to the article, EPA scientists, through an agreement with the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), are investigating whether increased use of 3D printers can lead to unintended adverse impacts to human health.  EPA states that...

On August 30, 2019, the National Nanotechnology Initiative published its supplement to the President’s 2020 budget request.  The supplement serves as NNI’s annual report required under the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act and addresses the requirement for U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) reporting on its nanotechnology investments.  According to NNI, the President’s 2020 budget requests more than $1.4 billion for NNI, “a continued...

On October 2, 2019, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) will hold a webinar on “Nanotechnology for a New Generation of Gas Sensors:  An Industrial Perspective on Fundamental, Applied, and Commercialization Aspects.”  According to the overview for the webinar, contemporary monitoring requirements of gases for applications ranging from environmental surveillance to medical diagnostics currently push the limit of existing detection.  The overview states that to...

On August 26, 2019, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) announced that the results of an NIEHS-funded study show that graphene could provide alternatives to chemicals in insect repellant and protective clothing.  The study, “Mosquito Bite Prevention through Graphene Barrier Layers,” was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  According to the abstract, the researchers hypothesized that graphene films may provide...

On August 20, 2019, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a one-pager on the Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC).  NTRC conducts research to understand the potential effects on human health of exposure to engineered nanomaterials and develops methods to control or eliminate exposures.  NTRC focuses on the following areas “to help industry move safely and responsibly into the future”: Increasing understanding of potential health risks...

The American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting and Expo:  Chemistry and Water will be held August 25-29, 2019, in San Diego, California.  On August 25, 2019, “Tiny Solutions to Big Problems:  Water Sustainability through Nanotechnology” will be held in support of the National Nanotechnology Initiative’s (NNI) Water Sustainability through Nanotechnology Signature Initiative (Water NSI).  The session will feature an overview of the Water NSI, as well as...

Registration has begun for the National Nanotechnology Initiative’s (NNI) September 10, 2019, webinar on “Respiratory Effects of Engineered Nanomaterials in Relation to Physicochemical Properties.”  The speaker will be Dr. Junfeng (Jim) Zhang, Nicholas School of the Environment and Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, and Dr. William Boyes, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will moderate.  NNI states that the interaction between engineered nanomaterials...

On August 1-2, 2019, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) held “The Future of the NNI:  A Stakeholder Workshop.”  The NNI has played a pivotal role in fostering and advancing a dynamic nanotechnology ecosystem in support of the initiative’s four goals:  advance world-class research; foster commercialization; develop and sustain research infrastructure; and support the responsible development of nanotechnology.  Building on this foundation, experts from the...

On July 3, 2019, the European Commission (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) published its final opinion on the solubility of synthetic amorphous silica (SAS). The EC asked whether SCCS considers that SAS materials 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 in published...

Registration has opened for the National Nanotechnology Initiative’s (NNI) July 9, 2019, webinar, “Nanotechnology-Related Standards: Availability and Applications.”  According to NNI, the development and use of nanotechnology-related standards is critical to ensuring validated measurements and methods to specify nanomaterial-containing products.  NNI states that standards are also necessary for comparative evaluation and assessment of the environmental, health, and...

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 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: Ken Kretchman, Director of Environmental Safety, NC State University; Craig Merlic, Professor of Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); and Debbie Decker, Chemical and...

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...