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Registration is now open for the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative’s (NNI) February 9, 2021, webinar, “What We Know about NanoEHS:  How It All Began.”  NNI states that its 2021 NanoEHS webinar series will focus on sharing what it now knows about the environmental, health, and safety aspects of engineered nanomaterials (nanoEHS).  According to NNI,…

On January 11, 2021, the European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) posted a final opinion entitled Scientific Advice on the Safety of Nanomaterials in Cosmetics.  The EC requested that SCCS determine the nanomaterials, as published in the 2019 catalogue of nanomaterials, for which specific concerns can be identified and justified to…

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH®) Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances (TLV®-CS) Committee has included carbon nanotubes on its 2021 list of chemical substances and other issues under study.  Being placed on the under study list indicates that the TLV®-CS Committee has selected carbon nanotubes…

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published a report entitled Moving Towards a Safe(r) Innovation Approach (SIA) for More Sustainable Nanomaterials and Nano-enabled Products.  According to the Executive Summary, the report “presents common working descriptions to ensure a common understanding of concepts such as: Safe(r) Innovation Approach and its elements, Safe(r)-by-Design and…

On December 1, 2020, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) announced the results of an assessment of R-Nano, France’s national reporting scheme for substances in nanoparticle form.  In 2013, France began requiring companies that manufacture, import, and/or distribute a “substance with nanoparticle status” in an amount of at least…

On December 3, 2020, a workshop will be held on “Creating a NanoRisk Governance Council:  Stakeholder evaluation and feedback.”  The workshop is aimed at working with stakeholders to obtain their feedback on the services and on the four scenarios being discussed for the establishment of the proposed NanoRisk Governance Council.  The workshop…

The European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) announced on November 16, 2020, the results of a study on how citizens perceive nanomaterials and their potential risks to human health and the environment.  According to EUON, the study found that general awareness about the nature, characteristics, and properties of nanomaterials is low.  EUON notes that…

On November 19, 2020, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published a report entitled “Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) of the application of nanoscience and nanotechnology in the food and feed chain.”  The authors analyzed existing ERA guidance documents for their adequacy to cover issues that are specific for nanomaterials, but note that none…

On November 2, 2020, the European Commission (EC) requested a scientific opinion from the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) on the ultraviolet (UV) filter HAA299 (nano) (chemical name “2-(4-(2-(4-Diethylamino-2 hydroxy-benzoyl)-benzoyl)-piperazine-1-carbonyl)-phenyl)-(4-diethylamino-2-hydroxyphenyl)-methanone”).  According to the EC’s request, the applicant seeks to assess the safety of HAA299 (nano) for use as a UV filter up to a…

On November 9, 2020, the European Commission (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) published two draft opinions for public comment.  In the preliminary opinion on hydroxyapatite (nano), SCCS considered whether the nanomaterial hydroxyapatite is safe when used in leave-on and rinse-off dermal and oral cosmetic products according to the reported maximum concentrations and…