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The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on December 3, 2019, that it has developed a new Appendix for nanoforms applicable to the Guidance on Registration and Substance Identification.  According to ECHA, it aligns ECHA’s guidance with the amended annexes of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation that will apply to…

The European Commission’s Joint Research Center (JRC) recently published a white paper entitled Anticipation of regulatory needs for nanotechnology-enabled health products.  The white paper notes that at this time, “no specific regulatory framework exists for nanotechnology-enabled health products but the current regulatory practice requires additional guidance in order to fully cover the particularities of…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued final significant new use rules (SNUR) on November 25, 2019, for 22 chemical substances, including carbon nanomaterial (generic) (PMN P-10-366), that are the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN).  84 Fed. Reg. 64754.  Persons who intend to manufacture (defined by statute to include import) or process any of these…

On November 22, 2019, the European Commission (EC) Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship, and Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) requested two scientific opinions from the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS):

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The European Commission (EC) announced on November 15, 2019, that it published an updated catalog of nanomaterials used in cosmetic products on the European Union (EU) market.  As reported in our June 19, 2017, blog item, the EC first published a catalog in June 2017.  The catalog compiles information that responsible persons shared with…

On November 12, 2019, the European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) published a Nanopinion entitled “Nanomaterials in Europe’s workplaces:  what are the risks and how can they be managed?” and written by Elke Schneider, European Agency for Health and Safety at Work (EU-OSHA).  Schneider states that at the EU level, the requirements…

The German Environment Agency (UBA) will hold a conference on December 5-6, 2019, on “Advanced Materials — 1st Thematic Conference.”  UBA uses the term “advanced materials” to refer to a heterogeneous group of new or modified materials with improved properties for intended applications.  According to UBA, for a certain number of these…

On November 4, 2019, the European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) published an updated Guidance on the Safety Assessment of Nanomaterials in Cosmetics.  The Guidance updates SCCS’s 2012 Guidance (SCCS/1484/12) on the safety assessment of nanomaterials in cosmetic products.  It covers the main elements of safety assessment — general considerations (Section…

The most recent episode of the National Nanotechnology Initiative’s (NNI) podcast series, Stories from the NNI, features Lynn L. Bergeson.  Ms. Bergeson shares her perspective on the intersection of nanotechnology and the law.  Dr. Lisa Friedersdorf, Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), speaks with Ms. Bergeson regarding her perspective on the intersection…

On September 24 – 26, 2019, the European Commission’s (EC) Joint Research Center (JRC) hosted the 2019 Global Summit on Regulatory Science (GSRS19), which focused on nanotechnology and nanoplastics.  Co-organized with the Global Coalition for Regulatory Science Research, GSRS19 covered nanotechnology research and its role in enhancing regulatory decision making, including methods, standards, and…