The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) began its Prevention through Design (PtD) initiative in 2007. NIOSH states that its mission is to reduce or prevent occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities by considering hazard prevention in the design, re-design, and retrofit of new and existing workplaces, tools, equipment, and work processes. On March 9, 2018, NIOSH published three documents in its Workplace Design Solutions series. NIOSH recommends...
On March 5, 2018, the European Commission (EC) announced the availability of a Communication to the European Parliament (EP), the Council of the European Union (EU), and the European Economic and Social Committee on the operation of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. The Communication includes proposals intended to facilitate further the implementation of REACH. The scope of the EC’s evaluation includes a...
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) published a Federal Register notice on March 1, 2018, announcing that it will hold a public hearing on April 11, 2018, to receive comments about CPSC’s agenda and priorities for fiscal years (FY) 2019-2020. CPSC’s Fiscal Year 2019 Performance Budget Request to Congress states that CPSC “will continue supporting nanotechnology research, coordinating with other federal agencies to extend limited...
March 5, 2018
EC Committee Begins Public Consultation on Certain Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer and Sodium Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer
On March 2, 2018, the European Commission (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) began a public consultation on its preliminary opinion on certain styrene/acrylates copolymer (nano) and sodium styrene/acrylates copolymer (nano). The EC received eight notifications of cosmetic ingredients containing the copolymers in nano forms. According to the preliminary opinion, the EC has concerns over the safety of the use of sodium styrene/acrylates copolymer (nano) and...
March 1, 2018
Switzerland Adopts Disclosure Requirements for Synthetic Nanomaterials in Fibrous or Tubular Form
On March 1, 2018, amendments to Switzerland’s Chemicals Ordinance took effect. The amendments, adopted by the Federal Council on January 31, 2018, include new disclosure requirements for synthetic nanomaterials of fibrous or tubular form. Switzerland states that the specified nanomaterials can cause lesions in the lungs if inhaled. As reported in our September 29, 2017, blog item, Switzerland notified the European Commission of the draft amendment in September...
February 27, 2018
EUON Issues Call for Study Topics on Nanomaterials
On February 26, 2018, the European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) issued a call for study topics on nanomaterials. EUON states that it intends to conduct up to three studies annually to address knowledge gaps about nanomaterials on the EU market. The studies should be considered of interest for either a specific audience, such as regulators or researchers, but can also be for a wider use such as the general public. Proposals should address an...
February 26, 2018
EPA Intends to Conduct Nanoparticle Research over Next Five Years
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its fiscal year (FY) 2019 budget proposal on February 12, 2018. According to EPA’s press release, the proposed budget will provide $6.146 billion to support EPA’s new FY 2018-2022 Strategic Plan and mission of protecting human health and the environment. EPA states that the “Back-to-Basic” agenda set out in the Strategic Plan has three over-arching goals reflecting EPA Administrator...
On March 20, 2018, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Nanotechnology Standards Panel (ANSI-NSP) will meet at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. The focus of the meeting will be to consider the observations from the February 28, 2017, ANSI-NSP meeting on graphene standards, including the following issues: Terminology; Characterization methods; and Information sharing. Participants will discuss recommendations for future standardization...
February 21, 2018
CPSC Will Continue to Use Agency Collaborations to Focus on the Environmental Health and Safety of Nanomaterials
On February 12, 2018, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) posted its Fiscal Year 2017 Annual Performance Report. According to the Report, in fiscal year (FY) 2017, CPSC exceeded its target of five collaborations by establishing seven research collaborations on the environmental health and safety of nanomaterials. The collaborations “will increase knowledge of the potential exposure to consumers from products that contain nanomaterials and explore methods to...
February 16, 2018
JRC Opens Call to Access JRC Nanobiotechnology Laboratory
The European Commission (EC) Joint Research Center (JRC) has opened a call to access its Nanobiotechnology Laboratory. The Nanobiotechnology Laboratory features state-of-the-art equipped facilities designed to foster interdisciplinary studies, with a special emphasis on the characterization of nanomaterials, nanomedicines, advanced materials and their interactions with biological systems, as well as on the detection, identification, and characterization of nanomaterials in food...