Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Blog

The 2017 European Union (EU)-U.S. “Bridging NanoEHS Research Efforts Joint Workshop” will be held September 7-8, 2017, at the University of Birmingham.  The workshop will be activity-driven, and the activity will be to consider current (and future) approaches to nano environmental and health safety (nanoEHS) research to close the gap between research and regulation.  The activity will focus on nanomaterials testing, grouping, and read-across methodologies, using case-studies to provide...

According to a July 12, 2017, press release, a coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGO) wrote to the French Prime Minister and several ministers to call for labeling and restriction of nanomaterials in consumer products.  The NGOs request that three measures be taken “as a matter of urgency”: Temporarily ban titanium dioxide particles present in E171 dye until the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) working group on nano and...

On August 10, 2017, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a report entitled National Occupational Research Agenda:  Second Decade in Review | 2006-2016.  The report outlines the progress and impact made in addressing occupational safety and health research needs over the second decade of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA).  The 21 cross-sector programs included in the report include the Nanotechnology Program, which...

On August 14, 2017, as the final Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(a) information gathering rule on nanomaterials took effect, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published “working guidance” intended to assist stakeholders in complying with the rule.  The working guidance notes that it “will not provide answers to all of the potential questions that will arise as manufacturers and processors seek to comply with the rule.  Commenters to the draft guidance asked...

ClientEarth announced on July 31, 2017, that it filed a complaint with the European Union (EU) Ombudsman about the European Commission’s (EC) “unlawful handling of a long-delayed list of nano-chemicals in cosmetics.”  As reported in our June 19, 2017, blog item, the EC published June 15, 2017, a catalog of nanomaterials used in cosmetic products on the EU market.  ClientEarth states that “[d]espite the lengthy delay, the list still does not let people...

On June 8, 2017, the European Commission (EC) published eight NanoData Landscape Compilation reports.  The EC states that the reports offer a snapshot of the environment for nanotechnology in different application fields: NanoData Landscape Compilation: Health:  This report offers a snapshot of the status of the environment for nanotechnology in the context of health.  Analysis of that environment, trends in the data, and the effects of European policies and actions...

Dr. Linda S. Birnbaum, Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), wrote an editorial in Environmental Health Perspectives on “Updating the NIEHS Strategic Plan.”  According to Birnbaum, NIEHS is developing a plan to guide its next five years and seeks broad input.  NIEHS has created an online survey, “Trends & Insights: Next Steps for NIEHS,” through which stakeholders can provide feedback on the existing Strategic Plan, as well as...

On July 20, 2017, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced 13 grants worth $4.6 million for research on the next generation of agricultural technologies and systems to meet the growing demand for food, fuel, and fiber.  NIFA states that funded projects support nanotechnology-based solutions that improve food production, nutrition, sustainable agriculture, and food safety.  The announced grants include:...

On July 17, 2017, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a Federal Register notice announcing it submitted a proposed information collection to the Office of Management and Budget for review and approval.  The proposed project is “Survey of Engineered Nanomaterial Occupational Safety and Health Practices.”  As reported in our February 14, 2017, blog item, NIOSH invited comment on the proposed survey on February 10, 2017.  NIOSH will survey companies...

In July 2017, the European Commission’s (EC) Joint Research Center (JRC) published a report entitled Evaluation of the availability and applicability of computational approaches in the safety assessment of nanomaterials:  Final report of the Nanocomput project.  The main aims of the Nanocomput Project were to review and assess the current status of computational methods that are potentially useful for predicting the properties of engineered nanomaterials to provide advice on the use of...

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has published a chapter in the fifth edition of the NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods (NMAM) entitled “Analysis of Carbon Nanotubes and Nanofibers on Mixed Cellulose Ester Filters by Transmission Electron Microscopy.”  The draft chapter provides standardized approaches for the analysis of carbon nanoparticles.  The chapter provides detailed guidance on effective means to perform transmission electron microscopic analysis...

Since July 20, 2017, when the Trump Administration published its Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, the entry for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) item (RIN 2070-AJ54) concerning the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(a) reporting rule for nanoscale materials has been revised at least twice.  As reported in our July 20, 2017, blog item, the Unified Agenda item stated that the final rule effective date is “To Be Determined” (TBD).  On July...

The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) will hold a webinar on July 27, 2017, entitled “The National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) Nodes and Environmental Research: Examples from the Field.”  The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports NNCI, which includes 16 user facility sites, their affiliated partners, and a coordinating office.  NNCI sites provide researchers, academics, small and large businesses, and government scientists with access to...

On July 20, 2017, the Trump Administration published its Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions.  The Agenda includes a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) item (RIN 2070-AJ54) concerning the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(a) reporting rule for nanoscale materials.  According to the Agenda item, the final rule effective date is “To Be Determined” (TBD).  The January 12, 2017, final rule requires one-time reporting for existing...

The Journal of Nanobiotechnology published a special issue on the outcome of Switzerland’s five-year National Research Program on the “Opportunities and Risks of Nanomaterials” (NRP 64).  The editorial states that the Program’s primary goal was to investigate potential applications of existing nanomaterials in healthcare, the consumer industry, and in the environment, and to identify, characterize, and minimize the possible risks associated with their...

On January 12, 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is scheduled to publish in the Federal Register a Section 8(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) rule establishing reporting and recordkeeping requirements for certain chemical substances when they are manufactured or processed at the nanoscale.  According to a pre-publication version of the final rule, manufacturers and processers, or persons who intend to manufacture or process these chemical...

According to the July 7, 2017, issue of the Chemicals Management Plan Progress Report, Health Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada are in the process of prioritizing nanoscale forms of substances on the Domestic Substances List.  As reported in our July 27, 2015, blog item, Canada conducted a mandatory information-gathering survey under Section 71 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.  Canada states that the survey identified 53 substances as...

To assist the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in selecting agents for review in future Monographs, IARC regularly convenes international, interdisciplinary Advisory Groups to review all public nominations and to recommend those it considers to be of high priority.  According to information on its website, IARC will convene its next Advisory Group in 2018/2019.  IARC encourages the general public, the scientific community, national health agencies, and...

On June 30, 2017, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Board of Appeal published two decisions related to nanomaterials.  In the July 5, 2017, issue of ECHA Weekly, ECHA states that the Board of Appeal “largely upheld the appeals and annulled most of the requests for information.”  In Cases A-014-2015 and A-015-2015, registrants appealed the same 2015 ECHA decision requesting information on synthetic amorphous silica (SAS) following a substance evaluation by the Netherlands Competent...

The Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT) seeks comments on the NANoREG-proposed ISA-TAB-nano templates.  According to CEINT, the ISA-TAB-nano file sharing format, developed under the National Cancer Informatics Program Nanotechnology Working Group (NCIP NanoWG), is an accepted ASTM standard (ASTM International E2909-13).  In 2016, the European Union NANoREG project adopted and adapted the ISA-TAB-nano format to organize consistently the results...