Congress is currently focusing on a key piece of legislation to reauthorize the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS), set to expire on October 4. This may lead to measures that are more far reaching and have a more significant impact upon the chemical industry....
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on May 21, 2009, that it has reformed the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), again. According to EPA, the revisions are intended to “revitalize the program and ensure its scientific quality, integrity, transparency and timeliness.” In a May 21, 2009, memorandum, Administrator Jackson states that recent changes, including procedures formalized in an April 21, 2008, memorandum, “have reduced the transparency, timeliness, and...
May 22, 2009
EPA Considering Test Rule For Multiwall CNTs
According to a notice in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) May 11, 2009, Regulatory Agenda, a Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 4(a) test rule “may be needed to determine the health effects” of multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNT). EPA states that the results of the tests that could be required under the rule could assist in understanding the health effects of the substance to manage/minimize any potential risk and exposure. Results could also help with...
During the June 29-July 1, 2009, meeting of the United Nations (UN) Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Substances (GHS), the Committee will discuss a paper entitled “Ongoing Work on the Safety of Nanomaterials.” The paper provides a summary of current activities by the European Union (EU), including the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) program,...
On April 28, 2009, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) released a report entitled Oversight of Next Generation Nanotechnology, which calls for the creation of the Department of Environmental and Consumer Protection, which would oversee product regulation, pollution control and monitoring, and technology assessment. According to report author J. Clarence Davies, Ph.D., the agency would be primarily a scientific agency with a strong...
April 30, 2009
Lynn L. Bergeson Included in List of Top Ten Experts in EHS Issues Related to Engineered Nanomaterials
We are pleased to announce that Lynn L. Bergeson is included in the Nanotechnology Law & Business list of the top ten experts in environmental, health, and safety (EHS) issues related to engineered nanomaterials. Nanotechnology Law & Business states that they chose ten individuals with “substantial expertise” in EHS issues related to engineered nanomaterials and that they “expect these individuals to play leading roles in nanotechnology law and business.” Nanotechnology...
The European Commission (EC) will hold a scientific hearing on nanotechnology on September 10, 2009. The hearing will focus on the scientific aspects of the issues covered in the nanotechnology opinions issued by the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) and the Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP) (which is now replaced by the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS)). To prepare for the hearing, the EC is launching...
In an April 24, 2009, press release, the European Parliament (EP) calls for the provision of information to consumers on the use of nanomaterials in consumer products. According to the EP, all ingredients present in the form of nanomaterials in substances, mixtures, or articles should be clearly indicated in the product labeling. The press release also specifically calls for the European Commission (EC) to evaluate the need to review the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and...
April 21, 2009
Lynn L. Bergeson, “What’s New in Nanotechnology Regulations,” Manufacturing Today, Spring 2009.
Over the last several months, there have been a number of significant nano regulatory developments. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released on Jan. 12, 2009, its interim report on the Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program (NMSP). On Jan. 22, 2009, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) issued a data call-in for certain nanoscale substances....
April 15, 2009
Australian Unions Call for Regulation of Nanomaterials
On April 14, 2009, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) issued a press release entitled “Nanotech Poses Possible Health and Safety Risk to Workers and Needs Regulation.” According to ACTU, “[t]he rapidly growing nanotechnology market in Australia requires urgent regulation to protect the health and safety of workers and consumers.” ACTU notes that, currently, there is no mandatory register in Australia of who is importing, manufacturing, supplying, or selling...