Regulatory & legal developments involving nano and other emerging chemical technologies
The Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (SNO) and the Nanotechnology, Occupational and Environmental Health (NanOEH) Committee have partnered to present the 9th NANO Conference. This conference combines the interests of SNO and NanOEH by offering a virtual program containing sessions that are of interest to both groups.
SNO is a permanent non-profit corporation that provides the…
According to the Toxics Use Reduction Institute’s (TURI) website, the Toxics Use Reduction Act (TURA) Program in Massachusetts has received a petition to list carbon nanotubes (both single-walled and multi-walled) and carbon nanofibers. The TURA Science Advisory Board (SAB) is beginning the process of reviewing these substances and seeks additional information from stakeholders. SAB’s…
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on October 15, 2020, a settlement with Electrolux Home Products, Inc., to resolve alleged violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). As part of the settlement, Electrolux will pay a civil penalty in the amount of $6,991,400.
EPA states that the settlement resolves claims that…
On October 13, 2020, the Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee published a request for information to inform the development of the 2021 National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) Strategic Plan. 85 Fed. Reg. 64535. According to the Subcommittee, a restructuring of the NNI is under consideration. The Subcommittee seeks response to the following questions to…
The European Parliament (EP) announced on October 8, 2020, that it objected to a European Commission (EC) proposal to amend the specification for the use of titanium dioxide (E171) in food products. The EP rejected the EC’s proposal to reduce the amount of titanium dioxide (E171), instead calling on the EC “to apply the precautionary…
The European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) began a public consultation on October 5, 2020, on a preliminary 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…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Nanotechnology Task Force is celebrating NanoDay on October 9, 2020, by hosting a virtual research symposium to showcase more than a decade of progress and innovation in nanotechnology at FDA. The agenda lists the following presentations:
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The Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee (DARTIC) of California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) will meet on December 10, 2020, to discuss the prioritization of 22 chemicals or chemical groups, including titanium dioxide nanoparticles. DARTIC will provide OEHHA with advice on the prioritization of these chemicals for listing consideration at future…
Beginning November 2, 2020, following the next release of the International Uniform Chemical Information Database (IUCLID), companies will be required to provide a name for the nanoforms or sets of nanoforms of their substance when registering nanomaterials under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. According to an item in the…
On September 17, 2020, the European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines (EAASM) announced the availability of a report entitled Patient Safety and Nanomedicines: The need for a centralised regulatory procedure. According to EAASM, “[n]anomedicines and their follow-on products, also referred to as nanosimilars, are complex molecules and so regulatory oversight must be scientifically…
