NanoHarmony held a webinar on March 17, 2021, on “Identification and solving barriers for translating science to regulation and standards.” According to NanoHarmony, the webinar focused on helping to identify the obstacles faced by stakeholders in developing new test methods and having them introduced as new test guidelines and guidance documents. A recording of the webinar is now available online, as well as the following slides: Claus Svendsen, CEH, welcome and...
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February 19, 2021
OECD Publishes Developments on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials in Tour de Table
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published the latest edition of the Developments in Delegations on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials — Tour de Table. The Tour de Table compiles information provided by delegations on the occasion of the 20th meeting of the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN) in September 2020. Below are highlights from the Tour de Table: Canada: Canada is developing a nanomaterial...
By Lynn L. Bergeson EPA announced on January 8, 2021, that it released an updated and improved version of OncoLogic™, a system used to evaluate a chemical’s potential to cause cancer. EPA states that, in partnership with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), it developed “a more user-friendly version of the most widely used piece of this system, greatly expanding its usability across the agency and the scientific community.”...
February 2, 2021
OECD Will Hold Webinar on Assessing the Dispersion Stability and Dissolution of Nanomaterials in the Environment
On February 25, 2021, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will hold a webinar on “Assessing the dispersion stability and dissolution (rate) of nanomaterials in the environment” to discuss the scope, content, and use of Test Guideline No. 318: Dispersion Stability of Nanomaterials in Simulated Environmental Media and its accompanying guidance document. According to OECD, “[t]he increased production and wide usage of manufactured...
December 29, 2020
OECD Publishes Report on Moving toward a Safe(r) Innovation Approach for More Sustainable Nanomaterials and Nano-Enabled Products
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published a report entitled Moving Towards a Safe(r) Innovation Approach (SIA) for More Sustainable Nanomaterials and Nano-enabled Products. According to the Executive Summary, the report “presents common working descriptions to ensure a common understanding of concepts such as: Safe(r) Innovation Approach and its elements, Safe(r)-by-Design and Regulatory Preparedness.” The report compiles existing risk...
August 19, 2020
September Webinar Will Review How OECD Develops Test Guidelines
The European Union (EU)-funded projects NanoHarmony and NANOMET-Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have jointly organized a September 16, 2020, webinar on “The Pathway to Test Guidelines: from science to standards for nanomaterials.” Participants will learn how OECD develops Test Guidelines, using case studies from the Test Guidelines that are supported through the projects for expansion into nanomaterials. The webinar will explain how novel...
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently published two guidance documents in its series on testing and assessment: Guidance Document on Aquatic and Sediment Toxicological Testing of Nanomaterials (No. 317): The guidance document addresses practical aspects of carrying out valid tests with manufactured nanomaterials, as well as modifications or additions to OECD Test Guideline procedures intended to improve incrementally the accuracy, intra-laboratory...
July 9, 2020
ANSI Nanotechnology Standards Panel Will Hold Virtual Workshop on Advanced Materials in August
On August 19 and 20, 2020, the American National Standards Institute Nanotechnology Standards Panel (ANSI-NSP) will hold a virtual workshop on advanced materials. ANSI states that advanced materials are of growing interest as there is increasing recognition that size alone does not define the unique properties of a material. More and more, governments and organizations that originally focused on nanomaterials are now also focusing on advanced materials and emerging...
On June 25, 2020, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC) Program Performance One-Pager (PPOP). NTRC conducts research to understand the potential effects on human health of exposure to engineered nanomaterials (ENM) and develops methods to control or eliminate exposures. According to the PPOP, NTRC’s accomplishments include conducting a survey to gather information about companies’ safety and...
June 9, 2020
NIA Survey on “Advanced Materials” Terminology and Relevance to Nanomaterials Closes on June 12
The Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA) began a survey on June 4, 2020, inviting commercial actors within the nanomaterials arena (producers, users, and professional providers) to contribute their organization’s perception and use of the term “Advanced Materials.” According to NIA, there is increasing policy focus on the term “Advanced Materials,” with national governments and international frameworks starting to discuss potential safety and regulatory...