May 19, 2017

SEMI Will Host Webcast on New TSCA Requirements for Nanoscale Materials

On June 1, 2017, in concert with industry partners, SEMI will host an information-sharing webcast concerning the new regulatory requirements for nanoscale materials under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  Jim Alwood, Program Manager in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Chemical Control Division, will provide a summary and answer questions about the new TSCA Section 8(a) record-keeping and reporting requirements for nanoscale materials.  The final...
May 18, 2017

Registration Open for NanoEHS Webinar on Voluntary Standards and Their Role in Enhancing the Quality of Scientific Research

Registration is now open for a May 24, 2017, webinar on “An Introduction to Voluntary Standards and Their Role in Enhancing the Quality of Scientific Research.”  According to the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), the safe development and commercialization of nanotechnology depends on the availability of internationally agreed upon standards.  Such standards enable the use of consistent terminology, measurement protocols, and well-characterized reference...
May 17, 2017

EPA Seeks Comment on Draft Guidance for Nanoscale Materials Reporting Rule

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice on May 16, 2017, announcing the availability of and requesting public comment on a draft guidance document entitled “Guidance on EPA’s Section 8(a) Information Gathering Rule on Nanomaterials in Commerce.”  82 Fed. Reg. 22452.  The promised guidance provides answers to questions EPA has received from manufacturers (includes importers) and processors of certain chemical substances when...
May 16, 2017

ECHA Creates Web Page for Nanomaterials Expert Group

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has created a web page for the Nanomaterials Expert Group (NMEP), which was created in October 2012.  NMEP aims to seek common ground among experts on scientific and technical issues regarding the implementation of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation, the Classification, Labeling, and Packaging (CLP) regulation, and the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR) for nanomaterials.  ECHA...
May 15, 2017

EPA Will Publish Draft Guidance for Reporting Nanoscale Materials for Comment

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is scheduled to publish a Federal Register notice on May 16, 2017, announcing the availability of and requesting public comment on a draft guidance document entitled “Guidance on EPA’s Section 8(a) Information Gathering Rule on Nanomaterials in Commerce.”  EPA states in the pre-publication notice that the guidance provides answers to questions EPA has received from manufacturers (includes importers) and processors...
May 12, 2017

EPA Delays Effective Date of TSCA Section 8(a) Rule Concerning Nanoscale Materials

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published on May 12, 2017, a Federal Register notice delaying the effective date of the January 12, 2017, rule concerning Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(a) reporting requirements from May 12, 2017, to August 14, 2017.  EPA notes that Section 553(b)(1)(B) of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) allows EPA to take action without providing an opportunity for notice or comment when it for good cause finds...
May 11, 2017

NanoImpact Publishes Special Issue Based on Eighth International Congress of Nanotoxicology

NanoImpact has published a special issue based on work presented at the Eighth International Congress of Nanotoxicology, which was held June 2-4, 2016, in Boston, Massachusetts.  The theme was “A Decade of Nanotoxicology:  Impact on Human Health and the Environment.”  The Editorial by the associate guest editors, Dhimiter Bello and David T. Leong, states that the special issue brings together a collection of 12 original research papers and three review...
May 10, 2017

EPA Will Delay Effective Date of TSCA Section 8(a) Rule Concerning Nanoscale Materials

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is scheduled to publish on May 12, 2017, a Federal Register notice delaying the effective date of the January 12, 2017, rule concerning Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(a) reporting requirements from May 12, 2017, to August 14, 2017.  EPA notes that Section 553(b)(1)(B) of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) allows EPA to take action without providing an opportunity for notice or comment when it for...
May 8, 2017

JRC Publishes NANoREG Framework for the Safety Assessment of Nanomaterials

The European Commission (EC) Joint Research Center (JRC) has published a Science for Policy report entitled NANoREG framework for the safety assessment of nanomaterials.  The report was developed within the NANoREG project, “A common European approach to the regulatory testing of nanomaterials.”  The NANoREG framework represents the project’s proposal for a common understanding in the field of environmental health and safety (EHS) assessment of nanomaterials under the...
May 5, 2017

ACS Publishes Study Finding that Nanoparticles Can Travel from Lungs to Blood, Possibly Explaining Risks to Heart

The American Chemical Society (ACS) announced on May 3, 2017, publication of an article entitled “Inhaled Nanoparticles Accumulate at Sites of Vascular Disease” in ACS Nano.  According to ACS, scientists have found evidence in human and animal studies that inhaled nanoparticles can travel from the lungs into the bloodstream, potentially explaining the link between air pollution and cardiovascular disease.  ACS states in its press release that in the study, 14 healthy...