Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Blog

According to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) website, the draft Guidance on information requirements and Chemical Safety Assessment:  Appendix R7-1 Recommendations for nanomaterials applicable to Chapter R7a Endpoint specific guidance and Appendix R7-2 Recommendations for nanomaterials applicable to Chapter R7c Endpoint specific guidance has been sent to the Competent Authorities for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and...

On February 27, 2017, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced the availability of a draft chapter to be published in the NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods entitled “Analysis of Carbon Nanotubes and Nanofibers on Mixed Cellulose Ester Filters by Transmission Electron Microscopy” for public comment.  The draft chapter provides standardized approaches for the analysis of carbon nanoparticles.  NIOSH states that these standardized...

The TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Expo, which will be held May 14-17, 2017, in Washington, D.C., will include a panel discussion on May 16, 2017, on “Safety and Innovation as Partners for Success in Advanced Manufacturing” as part of the Advanced Manufacturing Symposium.  The session description states that as emerging and novel technologies, materials, and information are integrated into increasingly automated and networked manufacturing processes, the elements...

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a Federal Register notice on February 10, 2017, inviting comment on a proposed information collection plan, “Survey of Engineered Nanomaterial Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Practices.”  The goal of the project is to assess the relevance and impact of NIOSH’s contribution to guidelines and risk mitigation practices for safe handling of engineered nanomaterials in the workplace.  The...

ClientEarth published a January 11, 2017, blog item entitled “Three-year wait for nanomaterial risk data promised ‘in the next weeks.’”  Under the Cosmetics Directive, the European Commission (EC) was to publish by January 11, 2014, an inventory of nanomaterials used in cosmetic products on the European Union market.  The EC has postponed publication of the inventory several times, due to the allegedly poor quality of the information it received from industry.  ClientEarth...

The Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) published a news item on January 16, 2017, entitled “Nanoparticles — to handle with care.”  IRSST states that although research is still in development, it appears that nanoparticles can enter the respiratory tract or penetrate through the skin and make their way to the bloodstream, which may carry the nanoparticles to various organs.  While studies have been...

On February 1, 2017, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a blog item entitled “The Art and Science of OELs for Nanomaterials.”  According to the item, NIOSH searched for proposals for occupational exposure limits (OEL) for new nanomaterials as part of the development of a World Health Organization (WHO) guideline for working safely with nanomaterials.  The blog item cites the article “Occupational exposure limits for manufactured...

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published a report entitled Alternative Testing Strategies in Risk Assessment of Manufactured Nanomaterials:  Current State of Knowledge and Research Needs to Advance Their Use.  Experts from academia, industry, public interest groups, and government researched, analyzed, and discussed how alternative models could be used to advance the risk analysis of manufactured nanomaterials.  The objectives were to...

We are pleased to announced that Lynn L. Bergeson, Charles M. Auer, and Carla N. Hutton published an article, “Practitioner Insights:  A Review and Analysis of TSCA Reform Provisions Pertinent to Manufacturers and Processors of Nanoscale Materials,” in the January 26, 2017, issue of Bloomberg BNA’s Daily Environment Report.  The article reviews and analyzes the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) as amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act,...

The Swedish Chemicals Agency (KEMI) is in the process of consulting with stakeholders on a draft regulation that would require companies to provide information on nanomaterials in chemical products to the Swedish products register by February 28, 2019.  According to KEMI, the proposal is the same as presented in its 2015 report.  Although the report is in Swedish, it includes an English summary on page 8, which states: The Swedish Chemicals Agency proposes that...