Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Blog

Regulatory & legal developments involving nano and other emerging chemical technologies

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By: Bergeson & Campbell, PC

Blog Authors

Charles M. Auer
Carla N. Hutton
Lynn L. Bergeson
Richard E. Engler, Ph.D.

Latest from Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Blog

The European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) published on January 14, 2019, a statement and a position paper on emerging health and environmental issues.  SCHEER identified and prioritized 14 emerging issues to bring to the attention of the EC services, including: Micro- and nano-plastic in the environment (priority is uncertain): Source: Urban and industrial wastewater.  Agricultural soils treated with wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) sludge.  Macroplastic debris.  Tire debris. Preliminary…
The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) conducts up to three studies annually.  The studies are intended to address knowledge gaps relating to nanomaterials that are of interest to the general public and the research community.  EUON announced on January 14, 2019, that it is now looking for topic suggestions that could be addressed in its upcoming studies.  EUON is looking for studies that address: Questions relating to the health and safety of nanomaterials,…
The Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA) will hold a webinar on January 24, 2019, on “Nano in Business:  Commercialization of nanomaterials.”  This is the first webinar in NIA’s “Nano in Business” series, which is dedicated to the roadmap to commercial success for nanomaterials.  This includes not only the launch of companies, but also successfully bringing materials to market at a production volume that allows supply to match demand reliably.  The first webinar will focus…
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and its consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®) published on January 8, 2019, our “Forecast for U.S. Federal and International Chemical Regulatory Policy 2019.”  In this richly detailed document, the legal, scientific, and regulatory professionals of B&C and Acta distill key trends in U.S. and global chemical law and provide our best informed judgment as to the shape of key developments we are likely to see in 2019. …
The December 2018 issue of the Journal of Nanoparticle Research includes an article entitled “A survey on the state of nanosafety research in the European Union and the United States.”  According to the abstract, the authors surveyed researchers in the field of environmental safety and health of nanomaterials between September 2017 and January 2018 to obtain a snapshot on the state of investigations.  The data received from 84 respondents provide information on exposure…
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has posted the transcript for the October 30, 2018, webinar on its revised draft document entitled Current Intelligence Bulletin:  Health Effects of Occupational Exposure to Silver Nanomaterials.  As reported in our September 19, 2018, blog item, the revised draft Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) provides an updated scientific literature review of information pertaining to occupational exposure to silver nanomaterials.  The literature review includes studies on the…
In December 2018, the International Standardization Organization (ISO) published standard SO/TS 16195:2018, “Nanotechnologies — Specification for developing representative test materials consisting of nano-objects in dry powder form.”  The standard specifies development of representative test materials consisting of nano-objects in dry powder form to enable test method development and improve comparability of data for nanotechnology applications.  The standard specifies that for dry powders of nano-objects, the following minimum information be gathered and provided in…
On December 7, 2018, the Occupational Cancer Research Center (OCRC) held a seminar on “Perspectives on Mitigating Exposures to Engineered Nanomaterials in the Workplace.”  The seminar was part of the Occupational and Environmental Health seminar series supported by the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Public Health Ontario, OCRC, and the Center for Research Expertise in Occupational Disease.  Pat Rasmussen, Health Canada/University of Ottawa, gave the presentation, addressing: The unique properties of engineered…
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register notice on December 7, 2018, withdrawing significant new use rules (SNUR) promulgated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for 28 chemical substances, including single-walled carbon nanotubes, that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN).  As reported in our October 10, 2018, blog item, EPA issued the SNURs through a direct final rule on October 10, 2018.  EPA states that it received adverse comments…
The European Commission (EC) announced on December 3, 2018, that it adopted amendments to several Annexes of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation to clarify the information requirements for nanomaterials.  The EC notes that REACH “has always applied to nanomaterials, but did not contain specific provisions for them, which is why companies often did not know how to register these ‘substances in nanoform.’”  According to the EC, the modifications and new…