EP Committee Report Calls for “No Data, No Market” for Nanomaterials

On March 31, 2009, the European Parliament (EP) Committee on Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety amended and adopted a report on the regulatory aspects of nanomaterials. The January 2009 draft report was prepared by Swedish Green EP Member Carl Schlyter and urges tighter controls on nanotechnology. The report calls on the European Commission (EC) to review all relevant legislation to implement the principle “no data, no market” for all applications of nanomaterials in products with potential health, environmental, or safety impacts over their life cycle. The report reiterates the Committee’s call for labeling of consumer products containing nanomaterials, and recommends development of testing protocols and metrology standards to assess the hazard of, and exposure to, nanomaterials over their entire life cycle, using a multi-disciplinary approach. The report was adopted by a vote of 21-14.