Lynn L. Bergeson Will Participate in NSTI Nanotech 2008 Conference

Posted on May 30, 2008 by Lynn L. Bergeson
We are pleased to announce that Lynn L. Bergeson will be speaking on June 2, 2008, at the Nano Science and Technology Institute (NSTI) Nanotech 2008 conference, which will run from June 1-5, 2008. She will be participating in a session on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program. In addition, she is a co-presenter of the poster entitled “Nanomaterials down the drain: perception and reality.”
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DEFRA Posts Sixth Quarterly Report on the Voluntary Reporting Scheme

Posted on May 29, 2008 by Lynn L. Bergeson
On May 19, 2008, the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) posted its sixth quarterly report on the Voluntary Reporting Scheme (VRS) for engineered nanoscale materials. According to the report, DEFRA received no new submissions this quarter, and to date has received only nine submissions since the VRS’s launch in September 2006:  seven from industry, and two from academia. The report states that DEFRA, in partnership with the United Kingdom Technology Strategy Board, is funding a telephone survey of selected companies and researchers.  DEFRA intends the survey, to be undertaken between May and August 2008, to find out more about the nature of these companies/researchers’ activities in the field of nanotechnologies.  As part of this process, DEFRA will offer assistance to those wishing to submit data to the VRS, in the form of telephone advice or site visits.  All information collected as part of this process will be treated as confidential unless the data owner advises to the contrary.
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NIOSH Blog Asks Whether Carbon Nanotubes Should Be Handled Like Asbestos

Posted on May 23, 2008 by Lynn L. Bergeson

On May 20, 2008, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted an entry on its science blog entitled “Nanotechnology: Should carbon nanotubes be handled in the workplace like asbestos?” The entry was prompted by the release of two recent reports contributing to the carbon nanotube/asbestos fiber comparison debate. The entry asks what the implications are to the risk assessment and risk management of carbon nanotubes in U.S. workplaces, and states:

However, questions have been raised about using these research findings for risk assessment analysis in the light of study limitations such as use of model animals, artificial administration methods, and sometimes extremely high doses, which are not representative of those exposures usually present in the workplace environment.  Such limitations are not unusual for pioneering scientific studies.  They simply mean that at this stage of the research, gaps remain that need to be closed by further study before quantitative risk assessment can be conducted.
Continue Reading...
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EPA Seeks Participants for In-Depth Portion of NMSP

Posted on May 22, 2008 by Lynn L. Bergeson
On May 20, 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated that it would like to initiate discussions regarding testing of nanoscale materials under the in-depth portion of the Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program (NMSP). Under the NMSP, companies that manufacture, import, process, or use nanoscale materials for commercial purposes voluntarily submit data to EPA and also participate in the development of additional data. To date, EPA has received three submissions for nanoscale materials under the basic program. EPA has also received commitments from ten additional companies to submit data on nanoscale materials under the basic program. Thus far, no one has signed up to participate in the in-depth portion of the NMSP, however. EPA encourages anyone interested in starting this dialogue to contact it. Continue Reading...
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EHP-in-Press Posts Article Regarding Effects of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes

Posted on May 20, 2008 by Lynn L. Bergeson
On May 16, 2008, EHP-in-Press posted an article entitled “Raw Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes Induce Oxidative Stress and Activate MAPKs, AP-1, NF-κB, and Akt in Normal and Malignant Human Mesothelial Cells.” According to the article, the unique physicochemical and mechanical properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes have many potential new applications in medicine and industrial uses. The article states that exposure to single-wall carbon nanotubes induced generation of reactive oxygen species, increased cell death, enhanced DNA damage, H2AX phosphorylation, and activated poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, activator protein-1, nuclear factor kappa B, protein p38, and protein serine-threonine kinase in a dose-dependent manner.  The article concludes that the cellular and molecular findings reported suggest that single-wall carbon nanotubes “can cause potentially adverse cellular responses in mesothelial cells through activation of molecular signaling associated with oxidative stress, which is of sufficient significance to warrant in vivo animal exposure studies.” EHP-in-Press articles have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication in Environmental Health Perspectives.
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EPA Unified Agenda Includes Item on Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program

Posted on May 13, 2008 by Lynn L. Bergeson
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) May 5, 2008, Unified Agenda includes an item regarding the Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program (NMSP), which is a voluntary program that EPA established to assemble existing data and information from manufacturers and processors of certain nanoscale materials. The notice states that, under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), EPA has the authority to require the development of data necessary for risk assessment when statutory findings concerning (1) production volume and exposure/entry into the environment or (2) potential hazard can be made, and to prevent and eliminate unreasonable risk of injury to human health and the environment. On January 28, 2008, EPA announced the NMSP. According to the Unified Agenda notice, EPA intends to publish in March 2009 an interim evaluation of the NMSP, and a final evaluation of the NMSP, “including next steps,” in April 2010.
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ICTA-Led Coalition Petitions for FIFRA Regulation of Nanoscale Silver Products

Posted on May 7, 2008 by Lynn L. Bergeson
On May 1, 2008, the International Center for Technology Assessment (ICTA), together with 13 other consumer, health, and environmental groups, filed a petition with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) demanding that EPA regulate as pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and that it take additional actions under FIFRA and other environmental statutes concerning, consumer products containing nanoscale silver. ICTA also released an inventory of the nano silver-containing consumer products referenced in the petition. Continue Reading...
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