On May 11, 2016, the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) will hold a webinar for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) that will focus on the experiences, successes, and challenges for SMEs working in nanotechnology and on issues of interest to the business community. The National Science Foundation’s Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing, at Northeastern University’s College of Engineering in Boston, will host the webinar. Speakers include:...
On April 26, 2016, a group of non-governmental organizations (NGO), consumer groups, and research organizations issued a press release expressing “disappointment with the European Commission’s [(EC)] continuing failure to propose adequate measures for the collection and publication of information about nanomaterials on the [European Union (EU)] market after a Commission meeting with stakeholders in Brussels on Monday.” The press release criticizes the EC for deciding against an...
The European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits (SCOEL) met on March 7-9, 2016. The meeting minutes include the following summary regarding SCOEL’s discussion of nanomaterials: Several chemical agents proposed or envisaged to be addressed by SCOEL do concern or also concern the form as nanomaterial. SCOEL identified a group of scientists to organise a workshop or expert meeting in order to prepare for dealing with the subject in specific and take...
April 28, 2016
Registration Now Open for 2016 U.S.-EU: Bridging NanoEHS Research Efforts Joint Workshop
Registration is now open for the June 6-7, 2016, U.S.-European Union (EU) “Bridging NanoEHS Research Efforts” joint workshop. The workshop will bring together the U.S.-EU Communities of Research (COR), which serve as a platform for U.S. and EU scientists to share information on nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety (nanoEHS) research. The goal of the workshop is to publicize progress towards COR goals and objectives, clarify and communicate future plans, share best...
On April 18, 2016, the Silver Nanotechnology Working Group (SNWG) submitted comments on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) draft NIOSH Current Intelligence Bulletin: Health Effects of Occupational Exposure to Silver Nanomaterials. The draft Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) includes a review and assessment of the currently available scientific literature on the toxicological effects of exposure to silver nanoparticles in...
On April 13, 2016, the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), the European Environmental Citizens’ Organization for Standardization (ECOS), and the Oeko-Institut issued a press release announcing the availability of the Declaration on Waste Containing Nanomaterials. According to the press release, over 80 signatories have endorsed the Declaration, “demonstrating overwhelming support for the demand to categorize waste containing manufactured nanomaterials as...
April 13, 2016
OSTP Blog Item Notes Recent Reports Highlighting Continued Federal Commitment To NanoEHS
The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) posted on April 11, 2016, a blog item, authored by Lloyd Whitman, OSTP, and Dr. Treye Thomas, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), entitled “Supporting Responsible Development of Nanotechnology.” The item states that the following reports released in March 2016 highlight federal investments and activities in the area of nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety (nanoEHS) research, progress, and needs in understanding...
The European Commission (EC) Joint Research Center (JRC) recently published a report entitled NANoREG harmonised terminology for environmental health and safety assessment of nanomaterials, developed within the NANoREG project: “A common European approach to the regulatory testing of nanomaterials.” The report states that it represents the project’s attempt at bringing common understanding and consistency in the use of key terms in the environmental health and safety (EHS) assessment...
April 8, 2016
OECD Publishes Report on Delegation Developments on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development recently posted a March 29, 2016, report entitled Developments in Delegations on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials — Tour de Table. The report compiles information, provided by Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN) participating delegations, before and after the November 2015 WPMN meeting, on current developments on the safety of manufactured nanomaterials. OECD intends the report to provide delegations with...
April 6, 2016
NNI Publishes Supplement to the President’s 2017 Budget
On March 31, 2016, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) published its supplement to the President’s 2017 budget request. The supplement also serves as the NNI annual report called for under the provisions of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003. NNI states that the President’s budget request provides $1.4 billion for NNI, with a cumulative total of nearly $24 billion since the inception of NNI in 2001 (including the 2017 request), “affirming...