Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Blog

During its December 14-15, 2017, meeting, the Management Board of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) discussed ECHA’s strategy on substances in nanoforms.  According to the strategy, following recent rulings of the Board of Appeal, the “possibility for using dossier and substance evaluation under the current legal text of [the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation] to verify safe use of nanomaterials on the EU market has become...

Charles Geraci, PhD, CIH, FAIHA, Associate Director for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and Laura Hodson, MSPH, CIH, FAIHA, Coordinator of the NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Center, co-authored an article entitled “From ‘Just in Time’ to ‘Just Next Door’:  21st-century Manufacturing Challenges and Opportunities for Industrial Hygienists.”  The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) published...

On January 12, 2018, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) opened a public consultation on its draft guidance for the risk assessment of nanoscience and nanotechnology applications in the food and feed chain.  The guidance covers the relevant areas within EFSA’s remit, such as novel foods, food contact materials, food and feed additives, and pesticides.  EFSA notes that the guidance takes account of scientific developments that have taken place since publication of the previous...

On January 8, 2018, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) announced the availability of a research report on nanotechnology in construction and demolition, as well as guidance for industry.  The aim of the research was to provide clarity regarding the current use of nanomaterials in the built environment and the potential benefits and risks arising for those working in the construction and demolition sectors.  Research included review of academic...

The German Environment Agency (UBA) has published a report summarizing the contents and outcomes of the October 2017 scientific stakeholder meeting on nanomaterials in the environment.  The meeting focused on the relevant regulatory results of recent German and European research projects on nanomaterials in the environment.  The stakeholder meeting provided a forum for participants to present the state of the knowledge on environmental nanosafety in a regulatory context, as well as to...

The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) announced on December 22, 2017, the availability of its assessment of the environmental performance of the Estonian Presidency of the European Union (EU).  The assessment is based on the results of “Ten Green Tests” laid out at the beginning of Estonia’s Presidency.  The eighth test is protecting the public from hazardous chemicals, including mercury.  The test includes encouraging the European Commission (EC) “to develop a...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and its consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®) published on January 4, 2018, their “Predictions and Outlook for U.S. Federal and International Chemical Regulatory Policy 2018.”  In the Forecast, the lawyers, scientists, and chemical regulatory specialists at B&C and Acta offer comprehensive and highly useful observations on the fast-changing and nuanced area of domestic and global chemical legal, scientific, and regulatory issues expected...

On December 15, 2017, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a blog item entitled “WHO Guidelines to Protect Workers from Nanomaterials.”  As reported in our December 13, 2017, blog item, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently published WHO Guidelines on Protecting Workers from Potential Risks of Manufactured Nanomaterials.  NIOSH Director John Howard, MD, describes the WHO Guidelines as “an important step in protecting workers worldwide from the...

In early December 2017, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) published Frontiers 2017:  Emerging Issues of Environmental Concern.  The report covers six key emerging issues:  the environmental dimension of antimicrobial resistance; nanomaterials; marine protected areas and sustainable development; sand and dust storms; off-grid solar solutions; and environmental displacement.  The section on nanomaterials addresses nanodimensions — new discoveries about familiar materials;...

On December 18, 2017, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a Federal Register notice announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled “Drug Products, Including Biological Products, That Contain Nanomaterials:  Guidance for Industry.”  According to the notice, FDA developed the guidance to provide industry with its current thinking for the development of human drug products, including those that are biological products, in which a nanomaterial is present...