The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) project (DaNa4.0) is addressing the question of whether new advanced materials, including nanomaterials, can be harmful to humans and the environment and how humans and the environment come into contact with these materials. DaNa has published an August 2022 research spotlight on a “Three-stage model

Lynn L. Bergeson
Owner of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), Lynn L. Bergeson has earned an international reputation for her deep and expansive understanding of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), European Union Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), and especially how these regulatory programs pertain to nanotechnology, industrial biotechnology, synthetic biology, and other emerging transformative technologies. Her knowledge of and involvement in the policy process allows her to develop client-focused strategies whether advocating before Congress, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or other governance and standard-setting bodies.
Ms. Bergeson counsels corporations, trade associations, and business consortia on a wide range of issues pertaining to chemical hazard, exposure and risk assessment, risk communication, minimizing legal liability, and evolving regulatory and policy matters pertinent to conventional, biobased, and nanoscale chemicals, particularly with respect to TSCA, FIFRA, Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), REACH and REACH-like programs, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) matters.
She served as chair of the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources, and has served in many Section leadership positions. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Environmental Law Institute, the NanoBusiness Commercialization Association, and the Product Stewardship Society, among other business and law organizations, and lectures and writes frequently on legal, regulatory, and science policy issues. Ms. Bergeson is also President of The Acta Group (Acta®), B&C's scientific and regulatory consulting arm, which assists chemical and product manufacturers in marketing and sustaining their products globally, and President of B&C Consortia Management, L.L.C., which helps the chemical industry leverage resources and maximize impact by forming consortia to achieve shared research, testing, regulatory, and access goals.
According to the Chambers USA Guide: "The universally highly regarded Lynn Bergeson of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. has developed an enviable reputation in chemical and pesticide regulatory work, with particular expertise in nanotechnology. 'She is probably the premier pesticide lawyer in DC,' notes one impressed commentator. Peers predict that she is set to become 'one of the most important lawyers in America.'"
NIOSH Publishes Technical Report on Occupational Exposure Sampling for Engineered Nanomaterials
On July 29, 2022, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a Technical Report: Occupational Exposure Sampling for Engineered Nanomaterials. Since 2010, NIOSH has developed guidance for workplace sampling for three engineered nanomaterials: carbon nanotubes (CNT) and nanofiber (CNF), silver, and titanium dioxide, each of which has an…
NNI and EPA Will Hold Webinar on SBIR/STTR Funding Opportunities for Water Nanotechnologies
The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will co-host a webinar on August 25, 2022, on Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding opportunities for water nanotechnologies. Small businesses and academic researchers will have an opportunity to hear from some of the federal agencies…
NIOSH Publishes Program Performance One-Pager for Nanotechnology Research Center
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a program performance one-pager on July 18, 2022, for the Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC). NTRC conducts research to understand the potential effects on human health of exposure to engineered nanomaterials and develops methods to control or eliminate exposures. The one-pager lists the following accomplishments:
- Developed
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OECD Publishes Project Report on Chemical Accidents Involving Nanomaterials
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published a document entitled Chemical Accidents Involving Nanomaterials: Potential Risks and Review of Prevention, Preparedness and Response Measures — Project Report. Part of OECD’s series on chemical accidents, the document presents the outcome from a project of the OECD Working Party on Chemical Accidents (WPCA)…
EC Requests Scientific Opinion on Titanium Dioxide in Cosmetic Products
The Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) announced on June 22, 2022, that the European Commission (EC) asked that it reassess the safety of titanium dioxide with a focus on genotoxicity and exposure via the inhalation and oral route (lip care, lipstick, toothpaste, loose powder, hair spray) “since the currently available scientific evidence supports an…
Austrian Academy of Sciences Publishes NanoTrust Dossier on Advanced Materials
The Institute of Technology Assessment of the Austrian Academy of Sciences has published a NanoTrust Dossier entitled “Advanced Materials.” According to the dossier, advanced materials are “materials or material combinations with improved, novel or unique functionalities or properties” and represent a broad class of materials that include semiconductors, biomaterials, and nanomaterials. The dossier…
Presentations Available from 4th Joint Symposium on Nanotechnology
The 4th Joint Symposium on Nanotechnology, organized by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and the Fraunhofer Network Nanotechnology (FNT), was held May 30-31, 2022. The conference included presentations on topics such as the use of nanotechnology in textiles and packaging, its application in agriculture, the introduction of nanomaterials into the body, and…
OECD Publishes New Test Guidelines for Nanomaterials
On June 30, 2022, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published six new Test Guidelines (TG) and ten updated or corrected TGs. The new TGs include the first two harmonized methods for measuring certain nanomaterial-specific physical-chemical properties. According to OECD, these harmonized methods were developed to respond to regulatory needs in member and…
EUON Publishes Nanopinion on Models to Characterize Exposures to Manufactured Nanomaterials in the OECD
On June 28, 2022, the European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) published a Nanopinion entitled “Models to Characterize Exposures to Manufactured Nanomaterials in OECD” by Vladimir Murashov, Ph.D., Senior Scientist in the Office of the Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and John Howard, M.D., Director of NIOSH and…