The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a notice in the May 8, 2015, Federal Register announcing a public meeting on June 11, 2015, to discuss EPA’s April 6, 2015, proposed rule concerning reporting and recordkeeping requirements for certain chemical substances when they are manufactured or processed at the nanoscale. This is a very important opportunity for stakeholders to offer comments on a rulemaking that has important implications for the nano community....
The Wilson Center’s Synthetic Biology Project announced on April 29, 2015, a first-of-its-kind inventory to track products and applications using the emerging technology of synthetic biology. The inventory is intended to provide the public the best available look at the many manufacturer-identified synbio-based products and the companies that produce them. The Synthetic Biology Project notes that because synthetic biology is a rapidly changing technology platform, the data represented in...
April 30, 2015
NIOSH Announces Publication of Paper from Industrywide Study on Carbon Nanotube and Nanofiber Exposure
On April 27, 2015, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced publication of “Carbon Nanotube and Nanofiber Exposure Assessments: An Analysis of 14 Site Visits” in Annals of Occupational Hygiene. The paper is the second report from NIOSH’s Industrywide Study. According to NIOSH, the findings illustrate which tasks have the highest exposures, trends in exposure, nature and character of materials involved, effectiveness of controls when used,...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced on April 27, 2015, that it awarded more than $3.8 million in grants “focused on using nanotechnology to find solutions to societal challenges such as food security, nutrition, food safety, and environmental protection.” The grants were made through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), which is authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. According to USDA’s press...
April 23, 2015
ECETOC Nano Task Force Proposes Decision-Making Framework for the Grouping and Testing of Nanomaterials
The European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals (ECETOC) Nano Task Force published an article in Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology entitled “A decision-making framework for the grouping and testing of nanomaterials (DF4nanoGrouping).” The DF4nanoGrouping consists of three tiers to assign nanomaterials to four main groups, to perform sub-grouping within the main groups, and to determine and refine specific information needs. According to the abstract, the...
April 14, 2015
NNI Publishes Outcomes of the 2015 EU-U.S.: Bridging NanoEHS Research Efforts Joint Workshop
The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) published on March 23, 2015, the outcomes of the March 12-13, 2015, joint workshop held by the U.S. and the European Union (EU), “Bridging NanoEHS Research Efforts.” The workshop was intended to promote and deepen the collaboration on nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety (nanoEHS) research. Workshop participants reviewed progress toward U.S.-EU Communities of Research (COR) goals and objectives, shared best...
On March 24, 2015, the European Commission (EC) announced a call for data on the ingredient “colloidal silver (nano).” According to the EC, it has received notification of several cosmetics products containing the ingredient “colloidal silver (nano)” (CAS No. 7440-22-4). The EC states that although this ingredient is not regulated in the cosmetics regulation, it is reported in the Cosmetic Ingredients and Substances (CosIng) database with antimicrobial functions. According to the...
April 10, 2015
SCENIHR Identifies Use of Nanomaterials for Medical Imaging and Drug Delivery and Graphene Nanomaterials as Emerging Issues
On April 9, 2015, the European Commission (EC) Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) posted a Position Statement on emerging and newly identified health risks to be drawn to the attention of the European Commission. The primary purpose of the paper is to draw the attention of the EC to emerging issues in the non-food area that have been identified by SCENIHR members as having the potential to significantly impact human health and/or the environment in...
April 6, 2015
Comments Due July 6 on Proposed Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements for Nanoscale Materials
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(a) proposed rule concerning reporting and recordkeeping requirements for certain chemical substances when manufactured or processed at the nanoscale was published in the April 6, 2015, Federal Register. EPA proposes to require persons that manufacture or process these chemical substances to report electronically to EPA certain information, including the specific chemical identity, production...
March 27, 2015
USDA NOP Releases New Policy Memo on Nanotechnology
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) issued on March 24, 2015, a policy memorandum clarifying the status of nanotechnology in organic production and handling under the USDA organic regulations. The memorandum states that NOP has received questions about the use of nanotechnology. The memorandum uses the term “engineered nanomaterials” to refer to substances specifically designed and manufactured to have unique properties or behavior attributable to...