Safety Updates

Advancing nanomaterials safety testing was the mission of two European Union-funded Horizon2020 projects, NanoReg2 and GRACIOUS.  They brought together 120 nanotechnology specialists from Europe, North America and Asia at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris on September 12-13.  Experts from research, industry, regulation and policy worked to improve how safety information […]

An increasing number of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are entering the market in everyday products, from healthcare and leisure to electronics, cosmetics, energy, agriculture, food and transport. Whilst for bulk chemicals, there are established regulatory frameworks dealing with the risk for the consumers, workers and the environment, this is not the case for nanomaterials. This situation […]

The August 14, 2018 deadline for reporting under US EPA’s nanomaterials reporting rule is rapidly approaching. US EPA promulgated the rule in January 2017 under Section 8(a) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 82 Fed. Reg. 3641 (Jan. 12, 2017). ………. https://www.natlawreview.com/article/deadline-nears-us-epa-tsca-nanomaterials-reporting-requirement

The July 19, 2018, issue of the European Commission’s (EC) Health-EU Newsletter includes an editorial entitled “The only concern to have about sunscreen is … did you remember to put it on?” written by Qasim Chaudhry, Chair of the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) and Ulrike Bernauer, Chair of the SCCS Working Group on […]

The GRAPHENE REACH REGISTRATION CONSORTIUM, consisting of the members Applied Graphene Materials UK Ltd., NanoXplore Inc. and The Sixth Element (Changzhou) Material Technology Co. Ltd., is proud to announce that Joint Registration Dossiers for Graphene and Graphene Oxide have been submitted to ECHA prior to the May 31st, 2018 REACH Deadline……. https://www.appliedgraphenematerials.com/files/2915/3242/6666/Press_release_GRAPHENE_Consortium_2018-07-10.pdf

On July 26, 2018, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced the availability of a draft Current Intelligence Bulletin:  NIOSH Practices in Occupational Risk Assessment.  The draft Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) describes the underlying science and general approach used by NIOSH researchers when conducting high quality, scientifically sound assessments of the health risk associated with […]

REACH Registration final deadline: 21 551 chemicals on EU market registered by 31 May 2018 On 31 May 2018 the 10-year period for registering existing chemicals under EU’s Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) has finished. 13 620 European companies have submitted information to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) on 21 […]

The Nanoinformatics 2030 Roadmap is a compilation of state-of-the-art commentaries from multiple interconnecting scientific fields combined with issues involving nanomaterial (NM) risk assessment and governance. …… https://www.nanosafetycluster.eu/uploads/files/pdf/Interim%20Roadmap_Complete_published_V2.pdf

The German Environment Agency (UBA) has published a report summarizing the contents and outcomes of the October 2017 scientific stakeholder meeting on nanomaterials in the environment. …….. http://www.nanotech-now.com/columns/?article=1275

On January 8, 2017, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) announced the availability of a research report on nanotechnology in construction and demolition, as well as guidance for industry…. https://www.natlawreview.com/article/iosh-publishes-research-report-and-industry-guidance-nanotechnology-construction-and

In December, the World Health Organization (WHO) released the Guidelines on Protecting Workers from Potential Risks of Manufactured Nanomaterials, a comprehensive list of safety recommendations and best practices on nanomaterials for workplaces in small and medium sized business and low and middle-income countries…….. https://www.rdmag.com/article/2018/01/who-releases-safety-guidelines-nanomaterials

The European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) has launched a public consultation on a draft guidance paper for the risk assessment of nanomaterials. It covers their use in the food and feed chain, including food contact materials and pesticides…… https://chemicalwatch.com/63110/efsa-consulting-on-nano-risk-assessment-guidance

Charles Geraci, PhD, CIH, FAIHA, Associate Director for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and Laura Hodson, MSPH, CIH, FAIHA, Coordinator of the NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Center, co-authored an article entitled “From ‘Just in Time’ to ‘Just Next Door’: 21st-century Manufacturing Challenges and Opportunities for Industrial Hygienists.” […]

The possibility for using dossier and substance evaluation under the current legal text of REACH to verify safe use of nanomaterials on the EU market has become increasingly challenging and resource intensive, following recent rulings of the Board of Appeal. The lack of information on hazardous properties of nanomaterials hampers not only the identification of […]

The European Food Safety Authority has produced this Guidance on human and animal health aspects (Part 1) of the risk assessment of nanoscience and nanotechnology applications in the food and feed chain………… http://www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/engage/180112.pdf

French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir has filed a legal complaint to the High Court of Paris against Mars, Casino, McCormick and Jacobs Douwe Egberts due to the “significant proportion” of undeclared nanoparticles in their products…… https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2018/01/23/Four-manufacturers-face-Paris-High-Court-legal-complaint-over-undeclared-nanoparticles?utm_source=copyright&utm_medium=OnSite&utm_campaign=copyright

The European Commission (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) published on January 24, 2018, its final opinion on titanium dioxide (nano form) as an ultraviolet (UV)-filter in sprays. See https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/health/files/scientific_committees/consumer_safety/docs/sccs_o_206.pdf The EC asked SCCS to address the following questions: 1. In light of the data provided, does SCCS consider titanium dioxide (nano) safe when […]