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May 14, 2018

Belgium Finds Quality of Nanoregistrations Can Be Improved

Lynn L. Bergeson Carla N. Hutton

The Belgian Federal Public Service for Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment has published the first annual report for nano substances registered for placement on the market in 2016.  Although the report is available only in French and Dutch at this time, each contains an executive summary in English.  Of the 475 registrations submitted, importers submitted 56 percent of the registrations, distributors 22 percent, and manufacturers 11 percent.  The rest were submitted by formulators or “others.”  According to the executive summary, NACE(BEL) Code 20, manufacture of chemicals and chemical products, was used most often to describe the economic activity at the level of the company.  At the level of the registrations, Code 20160, manufacture of plastics in primary forms, was used most frequently.  In 2016, 57,550 tons of substances in nanoparticular state were imported, 16,947 tons were manufactured, and 13,815 tons were distributed.  Substances registered in quantities greater than 1,000 tons include amorphous silica, calcium carbonate, calcium carbonate treated with stearic acid, carbon black, diiron trioxide, iron hydroxide oxide yellow, and silicon oxide.  About half of the submitted registrations reported quantities below one ton.  The executive summary states that evaluation of the submitted registrations shows that the quality of the registrations can be further improved.  It also suggests the possibility that not all potential registrants are aware of the May 27, 2014, Royal Decree and the obligation to register.  The nominative list of the substances registered for 2016 is presented in an annex to the report.  Based on the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) number, about 150 different chemical substances were identified.  The executive summary notes that the chemical identification makes no distinction between the possible differences in the physico-chemical properties of the nanosubstances.