Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Blog

On February 10, 2016, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a Federal Register notice extending the comment period on the draft NIOSH Current Intelligence Bulletin:  Health Effects of Occupational Exposure to Silver Nanomaterials.  As reported in our January 22, 2016, blog item, the draft Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) includes a review and assessment of the currently available scientific literature on the toxicological effects of exposure to...

On February 2, 2016, the European Commission (EC) published an inception impact assessment concerning “Possible amendments of Annexes to REACH for registration of nanomaterials.”  According to the inception impact assessment, the EC identified a need for more specific requirements for nanomaterials to ensure further clarity on how nanomaterials are addressed and safety demonstrated in registration dossiers to attain the aims of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and...

On February 2, 2016, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published in the Federal Register a request for information (RFI) seeking examples of commercialization success stories stemming from U.S. government-funded nanotechnology research and development (R&D) since the inception of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) in 2001.  OSTP states that the information gathered in response to this RFI may be used as examples to highlight the NNI’s...

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has posted the following reports concerning nanomaterials: Considerations for Using Dissolution as a Function of Surface Chemistry to Evaluate Environmental Behaviour Of Nanomaterials in Risk Assessments:  A Preliminary Case Study Using Silver Nanoparticles — The December 18, 2015, report discusses preliminary findings on dissolution by media type, provides recommendations, compares silver nanoparticles to other...

The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) posted a blog item on January 25, 2016, on “Educating and Inspiring Students through Nanotechnology.”  The blog item states that to reap the benefits of nanotechnology, “we must train our Nation’s students for these high-tech jobs of the future.”  The blog item announces that a new six-part video series, “Nanotechnology:  Super Small Science,” shows how to educate and inspire students though nanotechnology.  The...

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published on January 11, 2016, the Scientific Network for Risk Assessment of Nanotechnologies in Food and Feed (Nano Network) annual report for 2015.  The report states that, during 2015, the Nano Network followed-up on its four priority topics:  (1) the need for an inventory of nanomaterials in products on the market; (2) the analysis and monitoring of products under development and on the market; (3) the need for suitable measuring...

On January 12, 2016, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (Danish EPA) posted a report entitled Assessment of the administrative burdens on businesses with a reporting obligation to the Danish Nanoproductregister.  Danish EPA estimated the administrative burden of businesses reporting to the Danish nano product register using the standard cost method.  According to Danish EPA, interviews with companies and industry associations contributed to estimates for the measurement of...

In December 2015, the proceedings from the March 12-13, 2015, U.S.-European Union (EU) joint workshop on “Bridging NanoEHS Research Efforts” were posted online.  The workshop was sponsored by the European Commission (EC) and the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI).  It brought together European and American scientists engaged in nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety (nanoEHS) research to identify areas of shared nanoEHS interest and mechanisms for...

On January 21, 2016, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced the availability of a draft NIOSH Current Intelligence Bulletin:  Health Effects of Occupational Exposure to Silver Nanomaterials.  The draft Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) includes a review and assessment of the currently available scientific literature on the toxicological effects of exposure to silver nanoparticles in experimental animal and cellular systems, and on the...

The Society for the Study of New and Emerging Technologies (S.NET), an international association promoting intellectual exchange and critical inquiry about the advancement of new and emerging technologies in society, has launched a new website and twitter account. S.NET represents diverse communities, disciplines, viewpoints, and methodologies in the social sciences and humanities. It also welcomes contributions from scientists and engineers that advance the critical reflection of nanoscience...

The Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) posted on December 17, 2015, a report entitled Nanotechnologies in medical devices.  RIVM conducted an investigation to provide insights into and an overview of the field of medical devices using nanotechnologies for products already on the market and for those expected within five years.  According to the report, knowledge is evolving on the safety evaluation of nanomaterials in general, and thus also when used...

On December 17, 2015, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) posted a request for a scientific opinion on three coatings for titanium dioxide (nano) as an ultraviolet (UV)-filter in dermally applied cosmetic products.  According to the request, the European Commission (EC) received data from industry to assess the safety of the following coatings for titanium dioxide (nano form) used as a UV-filter in dermally applied cosmetic products:  cetyl phosphate; manganese dioxide; and...

On December 22, 2015, the U.S. Commerce Department National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced that it issued a notice of intent to fund up to two institutes as part of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI).  For the first institutes, the Commerce Department will provide up to $70 million per institute over five to seven years.  Commerce funding must be matched by private and other non-federal sources.  The Commerce Department expects the institutes to...

The European Commission (EC) published the final novel foods regulation in the December 11, 2015, issue of the Official Journal of the European Union. Under the regulation, food consisting of engineered nanomaterials should be considered a novel food. Engineered nanomaterial means “any intentionally produced material that has one or more dimensions of the order of 100 nm or less or that is composed of discrete functional parts, either internally or at the surface, many of which have one or...

This month the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (Danish EPA) published the following publications, in English, concerning nanomaterials: Better control of nanomaterials — summary of the 4-year Danish initiative on nanomaterials: The “Better control of nanomaterials” initiative intended to create an overview of the possible risks of using nanomaterials, focusing on consumers and the environment. The report states: “Generally, there is still a need for more information on where...

On December 11, 2015, the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST), a leading occupational health and safety research center in Canada, published the second edition of its Best Practices Guidance for Nanomaterial Risk Management in the Workplace.  IRSST intends the Guidance to support the safe development of nanotechnologies in Québec by bringing together current scientific knowledge on hazard identification, strategies for determining nanomaterial...

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a RAND Corporation (RAND) report entitled Nanomaterial Safety in the Workplace:  Pilot Project for Assessing the Impact of the NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Center.  In August 2014, NIOSH asked RAND to help develop and apply a method for assessing its Nanotechnology Research Center’s (NTRC) contribution to improving the safety and health of workers who could be affected by the production, use, reuse, or...

Registration is open for the National Nanotechnology Initiative’s (NNI) December 11, 2015, webinar entitled “All Hands on Deck for Improving Data Quality.”  The one-hour webinar will include a presentation from Dr. Paul Weiss, Distinguished Professor at UCLA and Editor-in-Chief of ACS Nano, on nanotechnology data reproducibility challenges and needs.  Dr. Ewan Birney, Director of European Bioiformatics Institute, will present a case study on the formation of the...

On December 1, 2015, the Swedish Chemicals Agency (KEMI) announced that it proposed to the government that those who report chemical products to the products register would, in addition to the information that is currently reported, also provide additional information regarding any nanomaterials contained in the product.  According to the English summary in KEMI’s report, the proposal covers nanomaterials that have been intentionally added to the product, regardless of concentration. ...

Earlier this month the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a fact sheet sponsored by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) Nanotechnology Working Group entitled Personal Protective Equipment for Engineered Nanoparticles.  The fact sheet defines engineered nanoparticles as intentionally produced solid particles with at least one dimension in the size range of approximately 1 to 100 nanometers.  According to the fact sheet, “[r]ecent...