Archives

February 8, 2011

EPA Announces Nanotechnology Research Awards

On February 17, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it awarded $5.5 million to three consortia to support innovative research on nanotechnology. EPA states that, in collaboration with the United Kingdom’s (UK) Natural Environment Research Council, it is leading this scientific research effort to understand better the potential risks to people’s health and the environment. The grants EPA awarded are intended to help researchers determine whether certain...
February 7, 2011

South Korea Includes Nanosubstances in Ten-Year Plan

The South Korean Ministry of Environment released on January 18, 2011, the National Chemicals Control Basic Plan, which it intends to help it implement the United Nations’ sustainable chemical control rules under the 2006 Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM). According to the Ministry, the Plan will reduce the amount of human carcinogens released into the environment annually by 32 percent by 2020, and will expand the national toxicity information database...
February 1, 2011

ISO Adopts Standard for Inhalation Toxicity Testing for Nanoparticles

On January 26, 2011, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) announced the availability of a new standard, ISO 10808:2010, entitled “Nanotechnologies — Characterization of nanoparticles in inhalation exposure chambers for inhalation toxicity testing.” The standard is intended to ensure that the results of inhalation toxicity tests of airborne nanoparticles are reliable and harmonized worldwide. According to ISO, the standard “establishes a battery of inhalation...
January 28, 2011

EC Announces Fourth Annual Nanotechnology Safety for Success Dialogue Workshop

The European Commission (EC) announced that it will hold the fourth annual Nanotechnology Safety for Success Dialogue Workshop on March 29-30, 2011, in Brussels, Belgium. According to the EC, many market modelers identify nanotechnologies as drivers of economic growth, and as a consequence, many governments have adopted ambitious plans intended to ensure the commercial success of nanotechnologies. At the same time, the number of potential and real applications is...
January 26, 2011

EU-OSHA Announces Control Banding Tool for Nanomaterials

On January 25, 2011, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) announced that French Agency for Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) experts have developed a control banding tool specific to nanomaterials that can potentially be used in any work environment in which nanomaterials are manufactured or used. With control banding, new products are classified into “bands,” which are defined after comparison with the hazard level of known...
January 14, 2011

EFSA Begins Public Consultation on Draft Guidance on Risk Assessment for Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies

On January 14, 2011, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) began a public consultation on a draft document entitled “Guidance on Risk Assessment Concerning Potential Risks Arising from Applications of Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies to Food and Feed.” According to EFSA, the draft guidance offers practical guidance for the risk assessment of applications involving the use of nanoscience and nanotechnology in the area of food and feed (including food additives, enzymes, flavorings, food...
January 7, 2011

ETC Group Posts Report on Global Governance of Nanoscale Technologies

On December 17, 2010, ETC Group published a report entitled The Big Downturn?  Nanogeopolitics, which updates its 2005 nanogeopolitics survey. According to ETC Group, since 2005, policymakers have begun to acknowledge that fast-tracking nanotechnology has come at a price and that some sort of regulation is necessary to address at least some of the risks posed.  ETC Group states, though, that “governments and industry, hand in hand, have come too far and invested too much to give...
January 5, 2011

EPA, EC, and OECD Officials Publish Article in Nature Nanotechnology

Nature Nanotechnology has posted a pre-publication version of an article entitled “Science Policy Considerations for Responsible Nanotechnology Decisions,” which is authored by regulatory officials of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), European Commission (EC), and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The authors offer their perspectives on possible approaches to maximizing the environmental benefits of nanotechnology and products that contain...
December 28, 2010

Australia Issues Guidance on New Chemical Requirements for Notification of Industrial Nanomaterials

Australia’s National Industrial Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) recently issued guidance on the new chemical requirements for the notification and assessment of industrial nanomaterials that are considered to be new chemicals. The new administrative arrangements will be effective from January 1, 2011, and will apply to any new chemical that falls under the following working definition of “industrial nanomaterial”: . . . industrial materials...
December 27, 2010

Switzerland Posts Guidelines for Preparing SDSs for Synthetic Nanomaterials

The Switzerland State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) has posted a December 21, 2010, guidance document for preparing safety data sheets (SDS) for synthetic nanomaterials. Safety Data Sheet (SDS): Guidelines for Synthetic Nanomaterials is intended to demonstrate the information necessary to ensure the safe handling of nano-objects and products that contain nano-objects; offer assistance on how the relevant information can be identified and in which form and which place...
December 20, 2010

EC Committee Approves Opinion on Scientific Basis for the Definition of Nanomaterial

On December 8, 2010, the European Commission (EC) Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) approved its opinion on the scientific basis for the definition of the term “nanomaterial.” The opinion concludes that: To define an enforceable definition of “nanomaterial” for regulatory use, the opinion proposes to set an upper limit for nanomaterial size and to add to the proposed limit additional guidance specific for the intended...
December 7, 2010

EP Approves RoHS Recast

On November 24, 2010, the European Parliament (EP) overwhelmingly approved the proposed recast of the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive, which restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in electronic and electrical equipment (EEE). The EP passed by a vote of 640 to 3, with 12 abstentions, legislation that would extend the Directive to most EEE, unless specifically excluded. The legislation calls for a review of the Directive after three years, at which time new...
December 2, 2010

ICTA Petitions EPA to Investigate Nano-Copper Pesticides

On November 18, 2010, the International Center for Technology Assessment (ICTA) petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to investigate nano-copper pesticides. ICTA, which petitioned EPA in May 2008 to regulate nano-silver and other nano-pesticide products, singles out three registrations obtained by Osmose, Inc. for “micronized” copper carbonate. According to ICTA, “it does not appear that Osmose advised EPA when it applied for these three registrations that any of...
October 29, 2010

ANEC and BEUC Announce 2010 Inventory of Consumer Products Containing Nanomaterials

On October 25, 2010, the European Consumer Voice in Standardisation (ANEC) and European Consumers’ Organisation (BEUC) announced their 2010 inventory of consumer products containing nanomaterials. According to BEUC, ANEC and BEUC began monitoring the availability of products containing nanomaterials in 2009, and that year’s inventory listed only 151 products. The 2010 inventory includes 475 products in categories such as child products, food and drink, cosmetics, products for cars, and...
October 28, 2010

IJOEH Publishes Special Issue on Human and Environmental Exposure Assessment for Nanomaterials

The International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health (IJOEH) has posted a special issue concerning human and environmental exposure assessment for nanomaterials. The issue includes articles such as “Understanding Workplace Processes and Factors that Determine Exposures to Engineered Nanomaterials,” “Nanotechnology and Exposure Science: What Is Needed to Fill the Research and Data Gaps for Consumer Products,” “Imaging and Characterization of...
October 21, 2010

EC Begins Consultation on Recommendation on Definition of the Term Nanomaterial

On October 21, 2010, the European Commission (EC) began a consultation on its proposal for a definition of the term “nanomaterial” that the it intends to use as “an overarching, broadly applicable reference term” for any European Union (EU) communication or legislation addressing nanomaterials. The EC states that the definition of the term “nanomaterial” should be based on available scientific knowledge and should be used for regulatory purposes.  The definition...
October 21, 2010

Australia Announces Adjustments To NICNAS New Chemicals Processes For Industrial Nanomaterials

In an October 5, 2010, Chemical Gazette notice, the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) announced that it is introducing new administrative processes for the notification and assessment of industrial nanomaterials that are considered to be new chemicals. The new administrative arrangements will be effective from January 1, 2011, and will apply to any new chemical that falls under the following working definition of “industrial...
September 27, 2010

OECD Releases Report on Current Developments and Activities on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials

In a September 22, 2010, report entitled Current Developments/Activities on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) provides information on current and planned activities related to the safety of manufactured nanomaterials in OECD member and non-member countries that attended the seventh meeting of OECD’s Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN) on July 7-9, 2010, in Paris, France.  The document also includes...
September 23, 2010

Belgium Calls for REACH Register to Ensure Traceability of Nanomaterials

During a September 14, 2010, conference on nanomaterials management, Paul Magnette, the Belgian Minister for Energy, Environment, Sustainable Development, and Consumer Protection, proposed to create a specific register for nanomaterials under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical Substances (REACH) program and to implement mandatory labeling for nanomaterials used in consumer products. According to Magnette, the next European Environment and...
July 15, 2010

EC Opens Public Consultation on Scientific Basis for a Definition of Nanomaterial

On July 12, 2010, the European Commission (EC) opened a public consultation on the pre-consultation opinion of the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) entitled “Scientific Basis for the Definition of the Term ‘Nanomaterial.’” The EC states that its services need a working definition for the term “nanomaterial” to ensure the consistency of forthcoming regulatory developments, to guide the effective implementation of existing...
July 14, 2010

European Parliament Votes to Restrict Nanoscale Ingredients in Food

On July 7, 2010, the European Parliament (EP) voted that nanoscale ingredients should be banned from food in the European Union (EU) until the health and environmental risks they might pose are better understood, and that any nanoscale ingredients that are eventually authorized should be clearly labeled as such. The EP voted on several amendments to draft legislation concerning the authorization of novel foods, including a provision that would prohibit food from cloned animals or their...
July 7, 2010

EC JRC Releases Report Concerning Definition of Nanomaterial for Regulatory Purposes

On July 2, 2010, the European Commission’s (EC) Joint Research Centre (JRC) announced the availability of a reference report entitled Considerations on a Definition of Nanomaterial for Regulatory Purposes. JRC prepared the report in response to a request from the European Parliament (EP). JRC states that the aim of the report is to review and discuss issues and challenges related to a definition of “nanomaterial,” and to provide practical guidance for a definition for...
July 1, 2010

ANSI Webinar Will Discuss Draft Labeling Guidance

On July 9, 2010, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) will host a webinar to discuss draft international guidance on the labeling of manufactured nano-objects and products containing manufactured nano-objects. The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee (TC) 352 Nanotechnologies and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) TC 229 Nanotechnologies are jointly developing a Technical Specification entitled “Guidance on the labeling of...
June 25, 2010

OECD Publishes Guidance Manual And Preliminary Guidance Notes

On June 8, 2010, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced the publication of two materials for use in the OECD Sponsorship Programme. The first is a revision of the Guidance Manual for the Testing of Manufactured Nanomaterials. According to OECD, the revised Guidance “is intended to support the testing undertaken in the context of OECD’S Sponsorship Programme and to ensure that the information collected from this testing programme be reliable, accurate,...
June 21, 2010

ECHA Publishes Technical Manual for Including Nanoforms in an IUCLID Dossier

On June 11, 2010, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced the availability of a technical manual for including nanoforms in an International Uniform Chemical Information Database (IUCLID) dossier. The Nanomaterials in IUCLID 5.2 Industry User Manual “gives practical instruction to [Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)] registrants on how to include information on different forms of a substance in a IUCLID 5.2 dossier.” The...
June 18, 2010

EU and China Sign MOU Concerning Nanotechnology Risk Assessment

On June 6, 2010, the European Commission (EC) Joint Research Center Institute for Health and Consumer Protection (JRC-IHCP) and the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the European Union (EU)-China Food Safety Scientific Seminar held at the Shanghai World Expo.  According to JRC-IHCP, “[b]oth institutions provide technical support for policy makers and aim to reinforce their co-operation in scientific research for consumer...
June 17, 2010

Germany’s BfR Recommends Manufacturers Not Use Nanoscale Silver Ions in Consumer Products

On June 10, 2010, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) issued a press release entitled “Nanosilver has no place in food, textiles or cosmetics,” which states “BfR currently advises against using nanoscale silver ions in consumer products.” According to BfR, manufacturers of consumer products “have made use of the antimicrobial properties of silver ions for some time now,” and “silver particles in the nanorange have likewise been used.” BfR states: “It...
June 8, 2010

EP Committee Adds Nanosilver and Long Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes to Proposed RoHS Recast

On June 2, 2010, the European Parliament (EP) Committee on the Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety approved the proposed recast of the Directive on the Restrictions of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) in Electrical and Electronic Equipment, with 55 votes in favor, one against, and two abstentions. The Committee adopted amendments adding nanosilver and long multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) to Annex IV, despite the fact that nanomaterials were not included in earlier proposals. In...
May 26, 2010

ECHA Revising REACH Guidance Documents to Include Nanomaterials

During the Helsinki Chemicals Forum 2010, Jukka Malm, European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Assessment Director stated that ECHA is revising its Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) guidance documents to include technical instructions to help companies include nanomaterials in their registration dossiers and other compliance obligations for substances they make or import. According to Malm, ECHA is following “international developments,” particularly work...
May 20, 2010

ILO Publishes Booklet On Emerging Hazards

On April 27, 2010, ILO published a booklet entitled “Emerging Risks and New Patterns of Prevention in a Changing World of Work,” which summarizes new occupational safety and health issues, including those related to technical innovations such as nanotechnology. The booklet states: There is a big knowledge gap between advances in the application of nanotechnology and its impact on health. Due to the extensive and highly diversified use of nanomaterials in industry, the number of...
May 11, 2010

EP Committee Votes to Require Risk Assessments and Labeling for Food Products Containing Nanomaterials

On May 4, 2010, the European Parliament (EP) Committee on the Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety voted on draft legislation regarding “novel foods,” which are defined as those that have not been consumed to a significant degree in the European Union (EU) before May 1997. Under the legislation, foods produced by nanotechnology processes would be required to undergo risk assessment before being approved for use, and approved products would be subject to labeling...
May 5, 2010

PPDC Discusses Nanotechnology and Pesticides

On April 29, 2010, during the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC) meeting, William Jordan, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), presented slides regarding nanotechnology and pesticides. Jordan briefly described how OPP is defining nanoscale materials and how the technology is being applied to the field of pesticides. His presentation described OPP’s recent consultation with EPA’s Scientific...
April 29, 2010

MATTER Will Hold Conference on Corporate Responsibility and Emerging Technologies

MATTER and the Economic and Social Research Council Centre for Business, Relationships, Sustainability, and Society at Cardiff University will hold a joint conference entitled “Corporate Responsibility and Emerging Technologies: How Nanotechnologies Are Shaping the CSR Agenda” on June 4, 2010, in London. The free conference is intended to focus on the social and ethical dilemmas involved in the use of emerging technologies. The conference is open to all companies and stakeholders who...
March 26, 2010

African Governments Adopt Resolution Urging Safe Handling of Nanomaterials

The January 25-29, 2010, African regional meeting on the implementation of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) included a workshop on nanotechnology. During the meeting, 53 governments adopted a resolution that calls for a ban on the shipment of waste containing nanomaterials to countries that cannot adequately manage them; legal provisions to ensure the safe use and disposal of nanomaterials; and bio-monitoring for people exposed to...
March 23, 2010

UK Publishes Nanotechnology Strategy

On March 18, 2010, the United Kingdom (UK) Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced publication of UK Nanotechnologies Strategy: Small Technologies, Great Opportunities, which sets out how the government intends to take action to ensure that everyone safely benefits from the societal and economic opportunities that these technologies offer, while addressing the challenges that they might present. The Strategy includes the following key actions:...
March 19, 2010

EP Environment Committee Approves Draft Legislation That Would Require Labeling For Nanomaterials In Food

On March 16, 2010, the EP Environment Committee approved draft legislation intended to modernize, simplify, and clarify food labeling within the EU. The legislation would make minor changes to existing rules on required labeling information, such as name, list of ingredients, “best before” or “use by” date, specific conditions of use, and add a requirement to list key nutritional information. The Committee added that showing the country of origin should also be...
March 18, 2010

Proposed Bill Would Amend CEPA To Address Nanomaterials

On March 10, 2010, Member of Parliament Peter Julian (NDP) tabled legislation (Bill C-494) in the House of Commons that would amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) to implement procedures for the investigation and assessment of nanomaterials. The bill includes provisions concerning adding nanomaterials to the Domestic Substances List (DSL), notification of significant new activity, risk assessment procedures, and would establish a public inventory of nanotechnology and...
March 10, 2010

EC Requests Accelerated SCENIHR Scientific Opinion on the Scientific Basis for the Definition of the Term “Nanomaterial”

On March 1, 2010, the European Commission (EC) issued a request, via the accelerated procedure, for a scientific opinion on the scientific basis for the definition of the term “nanomaterial” from the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR). According to the EC, its services “urgently need to elaborate a working definition of the term ‘nanomaterials’ to ensure the consistency of forthcoming regulatory developments to guide, as appropriate, the...
March 8, 2010

Health Canada Adopts Interim Policy Statement on Health Canada’s Working Definition for Nanomaterials

On March 1, 2010, Health Canada began a public consultation on its adoption of the Interim Policy Statement on Health Canada’s Working Definition for Nanomaterials (Interim Policy). Although Health Canada is accepting comments, it states that the Interim Policy “is effective immediately.” In preparing the Interim Policy, Health Canada states that it sought the informal feedback of some international stakeholders, industry trade groups, standards associations, and other Canadian...
January 14, 2010

House of Lords Committee Releases Report on Nanotechnologies and Food

On January 8, 2010, the United Kingdom (UK) House of Lords Science and Technology Committee announced the availability of its report entitled Nanotechnologies and Food, which criticizes the food industry for failing to be transparent about its research into the uses of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials. In its report, the Committee urges the Government and Research Councils to fund research into potential health and safety risks arising from the use of nanomaterials in the food sector. The...
November 23, 2009

EC Opens Public Consultation on the Nanotech Research Code of Conduct

On November 11, 2009, the European Commission (EC) began a public consultation to receive input from all people and organizations involved or interested in nanosciences and nanotechnologies research in Europe, including researchers, policy makers, industry, media, and civil society organizations. The EC adopted on February 7, 2008, a Recommendation for a Code of Conduct for Responsible Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies Research, followed on September 26, 2008, by Council Conclusions on...
November 17, 2009

Australia Releases Proposal Intended To Strengthen Nanomaterial Regulation

On November 9, 2009, Australia announced the availability of a public discussion paper proposing to strengthen regulation of industrial nanomaterials used in Australia. The National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) developed the proposal in conjunction with its Nanotechnology Advisory Group, which includes representatives from industry, the community, and research sectors. Major regulatory reforms would include:  refinement of pre-market assessment categories...
November 12, 2009

EC Adopts 2007-2009 Nanotechnology Implementation Report

On October 29, 2009, the European Commission (EC) adopted a Communication entitled Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies: An Action Plan for Europe 2005-2009. Second Implementation Report 2007-2009. The Communication outlines the key developments during 2007-2009 in each policy area of the Nanotechnology Action Plan 2005-2009, identifies current challenges, and draws conclusions relevant to the future European nanotechnology policy. According to the Communication, the EC has...
October 15, 2009

EC Will Review Legislation to Ensure Safety of Nanomaterials

In an October 9, 2009, speech at the stakeholder conference concerning nanomaterials on the market, Stavros Dimas, European Commissioner for the Environment, stated that the European Commission (EC) “will review all relevant legislation within two years to ensure safety for all applications of nanomaterials in products with potential health, environmental, or safety impacts over their life cycle.” The EC’s review is in response to an April 24, 2009, resolution adopted...
September 25, 2009

PEN Holds Meeting on Transatlantic Regulatory Cooperation

On September 23, 2009, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Project on Emerging Technologies (PEN) hosted a meeting on “Transatlantic Regulatory Cooperation: Securing the Promise of Nanotechnologies.” The program is part of a collaborative research project involving experts from the London School of Economics (LSE), Chatham House, the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), and PEN. The project is funded by a grant from the European Commission to support pilot...
September 16, 2009

Lynn L. Bergeson Chairs Panel at Conference on “Transatlantic Regulatory Cooperation: Securing the Promise of Nanotechnologies”

The London School of Economics (LSE), Chatham House, the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), and the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars held a conference on September 10-11, 2009, on “Transatlantic Regulatory Cooperation: Securing the Promise of Nanotechnologies,” in London. LSE, Chatham House, ELI, and PEN are participating in an international collaborative project, Regulating Nanotechnologies in the EU and U.S.,...
August 27, 2009

Lynn L. Bergeson Will Speak at Conference on “Transatlantic Regulatory Cooperation: Securing the Promise of Nanotechnologies”

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. is pleased to announce that Lynn L. Bergeson will be speaking at the September 10-11, 2009, international conference on “Transatlantic Regulatory Cooperation: Securing the Promise of Nanotechnologies,” in London. The London School of Economics, Chatham House, the Environmental Law Institute, and the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars have spent the past year examining issues of...
August 6, 2009

The Responsible Nano Forum Marks Anniversary of Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering Report

The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering released on July 29, 2004, their report entitled Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies:  Opportunities and Uncertainties. To mark the five-year anniversary of the report, The Responsible Nano Forum invited representatives from science, risk, investment, non-governmental organizations (NGO), unions, business, and consumer groups to reflect on the legacy of the report and what still remains to be done. The report, A Beacon or Just a Landmark?...
July 31, 2009

ETC Group Issues Report on Nanogeopolitics

Earlier this month, in advance of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) July 15-17, 2009, Conference on Potential Environmental Benefits of Nanotechnology: Fostering Safe Innovation-Led Growth, the Action Group on Erosion, Technology, and Concentration (ETC Group) issued a draft report entitled Nanogeopolitics 2009:  The Second Survey.  ETC Group recommends that policies concerning nanotechnologies be developed within the United Nations (UN) system, “where...