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...
Category: Research and Testing
The U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) will hold a webinar on June 24, 2020, on “Advances in self-powered wearable sensors: A biofuel-powered electronic skin.” NNI states that the development and commercialization of self-powered, battery-free sensors with wireless capabilities would represent a significant step toward meeting the requirements for next-generation biosensors, medical devices, and robotics. Dr. Wei Gao, California Institute of Technology, will...
The Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA) will hold a webinar on July 7, 2020, on “Introducing the NanoHarmony project.” Funded through Horizon 2020, NanoHarmony began on April 1, 2020. NanoHarmony brings together 14 expert partners from ten European countries and will work alongside the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to support the development of test guidelines and guidance documents for...
May 27, 2020
EU NanoSafety Cluster Publishes Final Report of (nano) TiO2 Safety Communication Task Force
On May 26, 2020, the European Union (EU) NanoSafety Cluster announced the publication of the final report of the (nano) TiO2 safety communication Task Force. The goal of the task force was to provide scientific input to the ongoing classification of titanium dioxide (TiO2). The Task Force ran from January 2018 to January 2019, collecting information regarding the classification of TiO2 and information on TiO2 hazard potential from available...
May 22, 2020
Study Analyzes Existing Research on Dermal Absorption of Nanomaterials Used in Consumer Products and at Workplaces
The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) announced on May 20, 2020, that a recent study has analyzed existing research on whether nanomaterials used in consumer products and at workplaces are absorbed through the skin. The study was commissioned by EUON and carried out by the RPA consortium of Triskelion and the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). According to EUON, the study found that the lack of standardized,...
May 13, 2020
WHO Publishes Principles and Methods to Assess Risk of Immunotoxicity Associated with Exposure to Nanomaterials
On April 12, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) published Environmental Health Criteria 244: Principles and methods to assess the risk of immunotoxicity associated with exposure to nanomaterials. WHO states that the document presents an overview of the current knowledge and evidence on principles and basic mechanisms of immunotoxicity caused by engineered nanomaterials (ENM). The document provides guidance on principles and methods for hazard and risk assessment of...
As reported in our April 8, 2020, blog item, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies) published a prepublication copy of A Quadrennial Review of the National Nanotechnology Initiative: Nanoscience, Applications, and Commercialization. The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) asked the National Academies to form an ad hoc committee to conduct a quadrennial review of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)...
April 18, 2020
NanoHarmony Will Hold Webinar in May in the “Improving the OECD Test Guidelines Process” Series
On May 4, 2022, NanoHarmony will hold a webinar in its series of webinars covering the different phases that an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) test guideline (TG) progresses through during its journey from a science-based initial idea through to use by industry to fulfill regulatory obligations. This webinar will cover phases 2 and 3 of the TG process, technical development and commenting and approval. Speakers will include: The webinars are intended to be...
April 17, 2020
FDA Requests Comments On Product User Fee Programs
By Lynn L. Bergeson and Ligia Duarte Botelho, M.A. On April 6, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a report that provides options and recommendations for a new methodology to evaluate changes in resource capacity needs of human drug and biosimilar biologic review programs. Titled “Independent Evaluation of the PDUFA and BsUFA Resource Capacity Planning Adjustment Methodology: Evaluation and Recommendations,” the analysis of the methodology was reviewed by an...
April 16, 2020
ISO Publishes Standard on Characterization of CNT Samples Using Thermogravimetric Analysis
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has published standard ISO/TS 11308:2020, “Nanotechnologies — Characterization of carbon nanotube samples using thermogravimetric analysis.” The standard provides guidelines for the characterization of carbon nanotube (CNT)-containing samples by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), performed in either an inert or oxidizing environment. The standard offers guidance on the purity assessment of the CNT samples through a quantitative...