The European Parliament (EP) announced on October 8, 2020, that it objected to a European Commission (EC) proposal to amend the specification for the use of titanium dioxide (E171) in food products. The EP rejected the EC’s proposal to reduce the amount of titanium dioxide (E171), instead calling on the EC “to apply the precautionary principle and to remove E171 from the EU list of permitted food additives that are currently used mainly to colour confectionery, bakery...
October 7, 2020
Public Consultation Begins on SCCS Scientific Advice on Safety of Nanomaterials in Cosmetics
The European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) began a public consultation on October 5, 2020, on a preliminary opinion entitled Scientific Advice on the Safety of Nanomaterials in Cosmetics. The EC requested that SCCS determine the nanomaterials, as published in the 2019 catalogue of nanomaterials, for which specific concerns can be identified and justified to establish a priority list of nanomaterials for risk assessment (Article 16(4)...
October 6, 2020
FDA Will Hold NanoDay Virtual Research Symposium on October 9
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Nanotechnology Task Force is celebrating NanoDay on October 9, 2020, by hosting a virtual research symposium to showcase more than a decade of progress and innovation in nanotechnology at FDA. The agenda lists the following presentations: Registration is now open....
The Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee (DARTIC) of California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) will meet on December 10, 2020, to discuss the prioritization of 22 chemicals or chemical groups, including titanium dioxide nanoparticles. DARTIC will provide OEHHA with advice on the prioritization of these chemicals for listing consideration at future meetings. No listing decisions will be made at the meeting. ...
Beginning November 2, 2020, following the next release of the International Uniform Chemical Information Database (IUCLID), companies will be required to provide a name for the nanoforms or sets of nanoforms of their substance when registering nanomaterials under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. According to an item in the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) September 30, 2020, weekly news, companies that have already...
September 29, 2020
EAASM Report on Patient Safety and Nanomedicines Calls for Centralized Regulatory Procedure
On September 17, 2020, the European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines (EAASM) announced the availability of a report entitled Patient Safety and Nanomedicines: The need for a centralised regulatory procedure. According to EAASM, “[n]anomedicines and their follow-on products, also referred to as nanosimilars, are complex molecules and so regulatory oversight must be scientifically fit for purpose.” The report makes three key recommendations intended to...
September 24, 2020
EPA Publishes Final SNUR for Carbon Nanotubes (Generic) (PMN P-15-54)
On September 17, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published final significant new use rules (SNUR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN) and are subject to Orders issued by EPA pursuant to TSCA. 85 Fed. Reg. 57968. The SNURs require persons who intend to manufacture (defined by statute to include import) or process any of these chemical substances for an activity that...
September 22, 2020
NSF Will Invest $84 Million in National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure
The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced on August 24, 2020, that it will invest a total of $84 million over five years in a renewal of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI). According to NSF, “NNCI’s 16 sites and coordinating office provide researchers from academia, large and small businesses, and government with access to leading-edge fabrication and characterization tools, instrumentation, and expertise across all disciplines of nanoscale...
September 18, 2020
EFSA Calls for Grant Proposals on the Use of NAMs for the Hazard Assessment of Cellulose Nanofibers
On September 15, 2020, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) called for grant proposals on the use of new approach methodologies (NAM) for the hazard assessment of cellulose nanofibers. EFSA states that the use of cellulose at the nanoscale is increasing and requires an assessment. According to EFSA, the main concern is that the nanoscale characteristics (e.g., length/shape of the fibers) may influence the toxicokinetic and hazardous properties of cellulose nanofibers....
September 17, 2020
A NanoBCA Retrospective — A Conversation with Vincent Caprio
This week’s All Things Chemical™ Podcast will be of interest to readers of the Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Blog. A brief description of the episode written by Lynn L. Bergeson is below. This week I sat down with Vincent Caprio, Founder and Executive Director of the NanoBusiness Commercialization Association (NanoBCA). Vince has been on the forefront of nano innovations and optimizing opportunities for businesses to commercialize their nano creations for...