Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Law Blog: Lawyer & Attorney : Bergeson & Campbell Law Firm : Nanotech and Chemical Legal Developments

On November 12, 2008, EHP-in-Press posted an article entitled “Oxidatively Damaged DNA in Rats Exposed by Oral Gavage to C₆₀ Fullerenes and Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes.” According to the article, C₆₀ fullerenes and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) are expected to be used in medicine and consumer products with potential human exposure. The objective was to determine whether the hazardous effects of these particles involve oxidative stress with generation of oxidatively damaged DNA that might be the initiating event in the development of cancer. The authors concluded that oral exposure to low doses of C₆₀ fullerenes and SWCNTs is associated with elevated levels of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2’-deoxyguanosine in the liver and lung, “which is likely to be caused by a direct genotoxic ability rather than an inhibition of the DNA repair system.” EHP-in-Press articles have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication in Environmental Health Perspectives.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

On November 19, 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability for review and comment of a petition requesting EPA regulate nanoscale silver products as pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). According to the notice, EPA “has determined that the petition raises issues that potentially affect private and public sector stakeholders.” The International Center for Technology Assessment (ICTA) and 13 other consumer, health, and environmental groups filed the petition. Comments are due January 20, 2009.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

On November 12, 2008, the United Kingdom (UK) Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) published a report entitled Novel Materials in the Environment: The Case of Nanotechnology, which examines issues related to innovation in the materials sector and the challenges and benefits arising from the introduction of nanomaterials. According to RCEP, there is an “urgent need for more testing, extending existing governance arrangements and creating new arrangements concerning nanomaterials.”  The report was prompted by concerns about potential releases to the environment from industrial applications of metals and minerals that have not previously been widely used. The RCEP states that, as the majority of the evidence it received was almost entirely focused on manufactured nanomaterials, it decided to focus on this sector as an exemplar. The report includes recommendations on how to address “ignorance and uncertainty in this area, which could also be applied to other areas of fast-paced technological development.”

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

On October 17, 2008, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) began a public consultation on its draft scientific opinion in relation to nanoscience and nanotechnologies and food and feed safety.  EFSA’s draft opinion focuses on engineered nano materials (ENM) that could be deliberately introduced into the food chain and elaborates on approaches to risk assessment. EFSA states that it “is not an assessment of any specific application of ENM.” According to EFSA, the European Commission (EC) requested the opinion “as a first step because consideration needs to be given as to whether existing risk assessment approaches can be appropriately applied to this new technology.”  EFSA states that its final opinion “will then help the EC to explore appropriate measures, assess existing legislation and determine the scope of possible further requests for scientific opinions from EFSA in this field.” Comments are due December 1, 2008.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

On October 30, 2008, Consumers Union petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to require a full safety assessment on the use of engineered nanoparticles, particularly in cosmetics, sunscreens, and sunblocks, and “to investigate possible enforcement action to ensure accurate labeling as to the presence or absence of nanoparticles.” Consumers Union cites new findings in the December 2008 issue of Consumer Reports, and states that the findings “confirm that use of certain nanoparticles is widespread in mineral-based sunscreens, and that company representatives are making erroneous assertions about these particles in their products.” Consumers Union purchased sunscreens that contain titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide, focusing on products that, according to company representatives, do not contain nanoparticles. According to the Consumer Reports article, Consumers Union found that four of the five companies’ statements about their products, asserting that they did not contain nanoparticles, were incorrect.

• Email This
• Print
• Comments
• Trackbacks
• Share Link