The European Commission (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has posted for comment its opinion on hydroxyapatite (nano). According to the opinion, the EC received 35 notifications of cosmetic products containing hydroxyapatite in nano form. The opinion states that, according to the applicants, the ingredient is used in nano uncoated form both in leave-on and rinse-off oral cosmetics products, including toothpastes, tooth whiteners, and mouth washes with a maximum reported...
On November 11, 2015, the Council of the European Union (EU) announced that its Permanent Representatives Committee approved the proposed novel food regulation. On November 16, 2015, the European Parliament (EP) and the Council of the EU reached an agreement on the proposal. The European Commission (EC) issued a November 16, 2015, press release and a November 16, 2015, Questions and Answers (Q&A) document concerning the final regulation. The Q&A includes the...
November 11, 2015
Denmark Posts Several Publications Concerning Nanomaterials
On November 10, 2015, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency posted the following publications concerning nanomaterials: Environmental assessment of nanomaterial use in Denmark: This is the concluding report of the project “Nanomaterials — occurrence and effects in the Danish environment” (NanoDEN). The projects in NanoDEN aimed to investigate and generate new environmentally relevant knowledge concerning nanomaterials on the Danish market and to assess the possible associated risks to...
November 6, 2015
OECD Tour de Table Documents Cover Developments in 2014 and 2015
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has posted two Tour de Table documents. The documents, dated October 26, 2015, cover activities from January to July 2014 and before September 2015: Current Developments in Delegations on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials — Tour de Table: The document compiles information, provided by delegations, including the European Commission (EC), together with non-member economies, on current developments on the...
November 2, 2015
JRC Publishes Part Three of Its Review of EC’s Recommendation for a Definition of the Term Nanomaterial
The Joint Research Center (JRC) published on October 19, 2015, a report entitled Towards a review of the EC Recommendation for a definition of the term “nanomaterial”: Part 3: Scientific-technical evaluation of options to clarify the definition and to facilitate its implementation. The report provides JRC’s scientific-technical evaluation of options to clarify the European Commission’s (EC) 2011 Recommendation on a definition of nanomaterial. In 2013, JRC started to develop a...
October 30, 2015
Nanotechnology Startup Challenge for Cancer Will Bring Nanotechnology Inventions to Market
On October 29, 2015, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published a blog item concerning the Nanotechnology Startup Challenge for Cancer (NSC2), “an open-innovation competition designed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the non-profit Center for Advancing Innovation (CAI) to bring promising cancer nanotechnology inventions to market.” According to OSTP, the competition “creatively combines some of the most powerful tools in the...
October 26, 2015
NanoValid Publishes “Nano to go!”
In September 2015, “Nano to go!” was published. “Nano to go!” is “a practically oriented guidance on safe handling of nanomaterials and other innovative materials at the workplace.” The German Federal Institute for Occupational Health (BAuA) developed it within the NanoValid project. “Nano to go!” includes the following materials: A brochure, Safe handling of nanomaterials and other advanced materials at workplaces, that supports risk assessment and risk...
On October 20, 2015, the White House announced a grand challenge to develop transformational computing capabilities by combining innovations in multiple scientific disciplines. The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) states that, after considering over 100 responses to its June 17, 2015, request for information, it “is excited to announce the following grand challenge that addresses three Administration priorities — the National Nanotechnology Initiative,...
The National Nanotechnology Initiative announced that registration is now open for an October 16, 2015, webinar entitled “Nanosensor Technologies and Applications.” Dr. Meyya Meyyappan, Chief Scientist for Exploration Technology at NASA Ames Research Center, will lead the webinar. He will introduce basic mechanisms of nanosensing and terminologies, and will review the current status of nanosensor development and challenges for commercial applications. The...
The National Nanotechnology Initiative announced that registration is now open for an October 16, 2015, webinar entitled “Nanosensor Technologies and Applications.” Dr. Meyya Meyyappan, Chief Scientist for Exploration Technology at NASA Ames Research Center, will lead the webinar. He will introduce basic mechanisms of nanosensing and terminologies, and will review the current status of nanosensor development and challenges for commercial applications. The webinar is supported by the...