The European Commission’s (EC) Joint Research Center (JRC) and the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (RTD) will jointly organize a virtual “Workshop on Safe and Sustainable Smart Nanomaterials” on September 9-10, 2020. The workshop is focused on smart (responsive, multi-functional) nanomaterials, as such or embedded in products, that are developed for application in industrial sectors such as agriculture, food, packaging, and cosmetics. The program is...
Category: International
August 12, 2020
NanoExplore Recruiting Companies in Certain EU Member States to Participate in Study of Occupational Exposure to Nanomaterials
The NanoExplore project, which is supported by the European Union’s (EU) LIFE program, aims at an integrated approach for exposure and health effects monitoring of engineered and incidental nanomaterials in occupational settings. The project is currently in its pilot phase. According to NanoExplore, the pilot study will take place following a two-step procedure over two field campaigns separated by a six- or nine-month interval. Each field campaign will last for four...
August 6, 2020
U.S. Senators Vote Against Deputy Secretary Of Energy Nominee and other Biobased Developments
Federal U.S. Senators Vote Against Deputy Secretary Of Energy Nominee On August 4, 2020, U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) voted against Mark Menezes, who is nominated to become Deputy Secretary of Energy. In a statement, both Senators said that “[g]iven the uncertainty with the ‘gap year’ small refinery waivers, the wasted time and resources to score the waivers again, the lack of transparency in the entire process, and most importantly, the toll...
On July 23, 2020, the European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) published a Nanopinion entitled “Material manufacturing from nano-scaled particles: moving forward using plants” by Dr. Blaise Tardy, Research Fellow, Bio-Based Colloids and Materials Research Group — Aalto University in Finland. Dr. Tardy notes that bio-based nanomaterials such as nanocellulose “have shown great promise in forming high performance materials, with the potential to replace...
On July 1, 2020, the European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) published a Nanopinion entitled “Polymer based nanocomposites – enabling innovation, resource efficiency and helping to fight climate change” by Dr. Sabine Lindner, Consumer and Environmental Affairs, PlasticsEurope Deutschland e.V. Dr. Lindner notes how the addition of nanoscale particles to plastic matrices can improve the properties of products such as plastic packaging for food. According to Dr....
On June 26, 2020, the European Commission (EC) published a regulation in the Official Journal of the European Union that amends Annex II of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. Annex II describes the requirements for compiling safety data sheets (SDS). The EC notes that specific requirements for nanoforms of substances took effect on January 1, 2020, and that information related to those requirements is to be...
On June 30, 2020, from 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. (EDT), the European Union (EU) NanoSafety Cluster will hold a webinar on “Immune response from occupational exposure to CNTs and nanofibres.” The following speakers will discuss work at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) on the association of occupational exposure with ex vivo functional immune response in workers handling carbon nanotubes and...
The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) posted a Nanopinion on June 12, 2020, entitled “Pigments: The oldest nanomaterials in human history facing modern day challenges.” Dr. Heike Liewald, Managing Director, Eurocolour e.V., and Giuliana Beck, Advisor, German association of producers of pigments and fillers, describe how the introduction of nano-specific requirements in statutes has significantly increased the regulatory burden. The authors state that...
June 8, 2020
Senate Finance Committee Holds Hearing on FDA’s Foreign Drug Manufacturing Inspection Process
On June 2, 2020, the Senate Committee on Finance hosted a full Committee hearing entitled “COVID-19 and Beyond: Oversight of the FDA’s Foreign Drug Manufacturing Inspection Process.” Witnesses represented the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), and private sector companies. The hearing sought to examine the accountability of FDA’s vetting process, especially in regard to drugs necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawmakers and witnesses...
June 4, 2020
China Publishes Draft Notice on Convergence Matters Related to Transition from MEP Order No. 7 to MEE Order No. 12
The Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), formerly the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), released a Notice on Convergence Matters Related to Environmental Management Registration of New Chemical Substances (Draft for Consultation) on June 3, 2020. The deadline to submit comments to MEE regarding the draft Notice is June 20, 2020. Comments can be submitted to MEE via e-mail (chem@mee.gov.cn). The key points in the draft Notice are summarized below: Commentary...