Dutch Urge EU to Act on Nanomaterials

In February 2011, the Dutch Environmental Safety and Risk Management Directorate sent a letter to the Directorate General (DG) Enterprise and DG Environment expressing concern regarding delays in the work of the Competent Authorities Sub-Group on Nanomaterials (CASG Nano) and the European Commission’s (EC) progress regarding clarifying the definition and status of nanomaterials. The Dutch Directorate states that an essential first step is to define what nanomaterials are and asks that the EC propose a common definition to member states as soon as possible, and in time for it to be discussed at the Competent Authorities for REACH and Classification and Labeling (CARACAL) meeting scheduled for mid-2011. According to the Directorate, the definition should be sufficiently broad to ensure all substances that present a nano-related risk are covered. The Directorate also asks that the three Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) implementation projects on nanomaterials be completed before the CARACAL meeting and that the EC provide greater clarity on the criteria necessary to assess whether nanomaterials pose specific risks. The Dutch competent authority is considering which substances to propose for substance evaluation under REACH and intends to include a nanomaterial. While the evaluation would not begin until 2012, the Dutch competent authority states that it would still be valuable to provide information on which elements of REACH remain problematic in terms of assessing hazards and risks associated with nanomaterials.