All Knowledge & Insights By Date

On November 8, 2007, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued a memorandum regarding “Principles for Nanotechnology Environmental, Health, and Safety Oversight.” According to the memorandum, OSTP and CEQ “led a multi-agency consensus-based process” to develop principles intended to guide the development and implementation of policies for nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety oversight at the agency...

As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs’ (OPP) ongoing Nanotechnology Task Force Work, we understand that OPP is seriously considering revising the pesticide registration application form to require particle size information for both active ingredients and any inerts....

The November 1, 2007, issue of Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) includes a research article and meeting report concerning nanomaterials. The research article, entitled “Nanosize Titanium Dioxide Stimulates Reactive Oxygen Species in Brain Microglia and Damages Neurons in Vitro,” describes the in vitro neurotoxicity of P25, a commercially available titanium dioxide nanomaterial. According to the study, P25 appears to be non-toxic...

We are pleased to announce that the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) has published the Nanotechnology Deskbook, which Lynn L. Bergeson co-authored. ELI provides the following description of the Deskbook: Nanotechnology promises to have far reaching impacts on the economy, including offering technological advances in pollution control. While over 200 products that use nanomaterials are already in the marketplace, minimal data exist on the health and environmental effects of...

On October 31, 2007, the House Committee on Science and Technology’s Research and Science Education Subcommittee held a hearing on the relationship between environmental and health policy and nanotechnology. The Subcommittee examined how the U.S. can stay at the forefront of scientific research and development, while at the same time establishing priorities and a detailed plan for research on the potential environmental and health risks of engineered nanomaterials. The...

Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) placed in the docket a report summarizing remarks and public comments made during the August 2, 2007, meeting on the Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program (NMSP). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss and receive comments on the development of the voluntary NMSP. The intent of the report is to provide an overview of the discussion that occurred. It does not analyze or evaluate any portion of the...

On October 3, 2007, the California Department for Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) held a symposium on the potential hazards of nanoparticles in the environment. According to DTSC, exploring environmentally safe processes in nanotechnology manufacturing is a component of the California Green Chemistry Initiative.  Under the Initiative, a multi-agency state team is exploring a different approach to environmental protection — transitioning away from managing toxic chemicals at the...

On August 3, 2007, EHP-in-Press posted an article entitled “Nanosize Titanium Dioxide Stimulates Reactive Oxygen Species in Brain Microglia and Damages Neurons, In Vitro.” The article describes the in vitro neurotoxicity of P25, a commercially available titanium dioxide nanomaterial. According to the study, P25 appears to be non-toxic to isolated N27 neurons, but stimulates BV2 microglia to produce reactive oxygen species and damages oxidative...

On August 2, 2007, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) convened a public meeting on the Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program (NMSP) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The meeting, which EPA had announced in a July 12, 2007, Federal Register notice, was well attended, with approximately 100 people in attendance. After introductory remarks by several EPA officials, various organizations presented their views on the NMSP and the associated...

On May 23, 2007, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) released a report entitled EPA and Nanotechnology: Oversight for the 21st Century, which identifies actions that should be taken to establish an oversight system. The report focuses in particular on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which it describes as “a key agency in any oversight effort because of its numerous regulatory authorities and its mission...