Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Blog

On December 5, 2023, the European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) began a public consultation on its preliminary opinion on titanium dioxide. Comments on the preliminary opinion are due February 6, 2024. The preliminary opinion includes the following questions from the EC and SCCS’s conclusions: Q: In light of the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) opinion on genotoxicity concerns for E171, does SCCS consider titanium dioxide safe in oral cosmetic...

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) announced on December 4, 2023, a series of events to drive U.S. leadership in nanotechnology, in celebration of the 20-year anniversary of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act. The announcement notes that for the past two decades, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) “has worked with more than 20 departments and agencies to advance a vision...

The Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA) will hold its 2023 Symposium on December 5, 2023. Open to the public, the agenda for the Symposium includes: Welcome and Introduction: Sean Kelly, Director General (Interim), NIA; The current state of the global nano industry: The NIA now and in the future: Landon Mertz, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Cerion Nanomaterials and Chair of the NIA Board; Creating the right regulatory environment for nanomaterial innovation in the European Union (EU) and...

On November 20, 2023, the European Commission (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) announced that the EC requested that it carry out a safety assessment on hydroxyapatite (nano) in view of new information provided. As reported in our March 24, 2023, blog item, according to SCCS’s March 2023 final opinion on hydroxyapatite (nano), based on the data provided, SCCS considers hydroxyapatite (nano) safe when used at concentrations up to ten percent in toothpaste, and up to 0.465...

NanoHarmony announced on November 10, 2023, the release of the NanoHarmony OECD TG/GD Process Mentor, an interactive web-based tool to guide stakeholders through the development process of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Test Guidelines (TG) and Guidance Documents (GD). NanoHarmony states that it developed the NanoHarmony OECD TG/GD Process Mentor to highlight the involvement of key institutions in the OECD Test Guidelines Programme, and their incentives to take part...

On November 8, 2023, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a report entitled Approaches to safe 3D printing: a guide for makerspace users, schools, libraries, and small businesses. According to NIOSH, use of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology is becoming a prominent part of the modern world. NIOSH notes that some 3D printer users have expressed concerns about potential exposures to ultrafine particles, chemicals, and safety hazards, however. NIOSH...

The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) has rescheduled its symposium entitled “Enabling the Nanotechnology Revolution: Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act” to March 5, 2024, at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. According to NNI, the symposium will bring together “experts who can speak on the importance of nanotechnology in quantum engineering, optics, EHS, plastics, DEIA, microelectronics,...

The European Union (EU) NanoSafety Cluster (NSC) announced on October 24, 2023, that it is conducting a survey on the implementation of nanosafety in workplaces. NSC states that the survey aims to gather insights on the current practices and challenges of implementing nanosafety in workplaces. According to NSC, responses will help shape recommendations for future safety guidelines and protocols. NSC notes that participation will take approximately 15-20 minutes.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has posted two new reports in its Series on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials: Advanced Materials Assessment Schemes HARMLESS -- OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN) Workshop Report (No. 107): The abstract states that to move forward in the assessment of currently available assessment schemes and evaluate their applicability as foresight tools to anticipate issues with the safety and sustainability of advanced...