Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Blog

On December 18, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued final significant new use rules (SNUR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for a number of chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN) and are also subject to Orders issued by EPA pursuant to TSCA. 88 Fed. Reg. 87346. The SNURs include four chemical substances identified as: Significant new uses include manufacturing the substance with a maximum weight percentage of...

On December 5, 2023, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) released a report analyzing the economic impact of federal investment in nanotechnology from 2002 to 2022. The report states that NNI selected this timeframe because it was codified by the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act in 2003, and thus the range covers its entire existence. The report examines the impact of public investment, growth and trends of the market, and the evolving understanding and...

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 first webinar in the series, An Introduction to Nanometrology: History, State-of-the-Art, and Philosophy, which will be held January 5, 2024, at 12:00...

On December 5, 2023, the European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) began a public consultation on its preliminary opinion on titanium dioxide. Comments on the preliminary opinion are due February 6, 2024. The preliminary opinion 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...

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) announced on December 4, 2023, a series of events to drive U.S. leadership in nanotechnology, in celebration of the 20-year anniversary of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act. The announcement notes that for the past two decades, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) “has worked with more than 20 departments and agencies to advance a vision...

The Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA) will hold its 2023 Symposium on December 5, 2023. Open to the public, the agenda for the Symposium includes: Registration is open. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. is a proud member of NIA....

On November 20, 2023, the European Commission (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) announced that the EC requested that it carry out a safety assessment on hydroxyapatite (nano) in view of new information provided. As reported in our March 24, 2023, blog item, according to SCCS’s March 2023 final opinion on hydroxyapatite (nano), based on the data provided, SCCS considers hydroxyapatite (nano) safe when used at concentrations up to ten percent in toothpaste, and...

NanoHarmony announced on November 10, 2023, the release of the NanoHarmony OECD TG/GD Process Mentor, an interactive web-based tool to guide stakeholders through the development process of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Test Guidelines (TG) and Guidance Documents (GD). NanoHarmony states that it developed the NanoHarmony OECD TG/GD Process Mentor to highlight the involvement of key institutions in the OECD Test Guidelines Programme, and their incentives to take part...

On November 8, 2023, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a report entitled Approaches to safe 3D printing: a guide for makerspace users, schools, libraries, and small businesses. According to NIOSH, use of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology is becoming a prominent part of the modern world. NIOSH notes that some 3D printer users have expressed concerns about potential exposures to ultrafine particles, chemicals, and safety hazards, however. NIOSH...

The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) has rescheduled its symposium entitled “Enabling the Nanotechnology Revolution: Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act” to March 5, 2024, at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. According to NNI, the symposium will bring together “experts who can speak on the importance of nanotechnology in quantum engineering, optics, EHS, plastics, DEIA, microelectronics,...