August 20, 2008 |
Posted by Richard Denison in
EPA, Policy, Regulation, TSCA
Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.
EDF's recent news release that gave a less-than-glowing review to the performance of EPA's Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program (NMSP) engendered a critique from Michael Heintz of Porter & Wright, accusing us of being "irresponsible" and potentially "sector damaging." Our release had lamented the mediocre level of participation and lack of transparency surrounding the NMSP. I've posted a reply to Michael's post, but also want to post it here. Read more »
August 7, 2008 |
Posted by Cal Baier-Anderson in
Carbon Nanotubes, Consumer Products, Health, Risk Assessment
Cal Baier-Anderson, Ph.D., is a Health Scientist.
We often think of nanotechnology as the latest product of ultra-modern science, but humans did not invent the nanoscale. We were not even the first to use materials with nanoscale features: The gecko beat us to it by several million years. Even more impressive, this little reptile has managed to use nanoscale materials apparently without experiencing any ill effects. It remains to be seen if we will be able to do this.
Read more »
July 28, 2008 |
Posted by Richard Denison in
EPA, Policy, Regulation, TSCA
Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.
A growing number of observers of nanotechnology policy in the U.S. - at least those outside the U.S. government! - recognize that the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is poorly suited both to spur the generation of sufficient information about nanomaterials, and to ensure that information indicating potential risks will trigger meaningful action. So why not just tweak TSCA to make it work better for nano? Read more »
July 22, 2008 |
Posted by Cal Baier-Anderson in
Consumer Products, Health, Industry, Regulation, Worker Safety
Cal Baier-Anderson, Ph.D., is a Health Scientist.
Andrew Maynard, of the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, recently blogged about an Australian study that documented an odd effect of sunscreens containing nanoscale titanium dioxide (TiO2). The study was prompted by the observation that installers of metal roofs who used these sunscreens inadvertently transferred the product onto the roofs. In places where the workers’ skin had touched the painted metal surfaces, the paint showed accelerated weathering. Why? Because the particular type of nanoscale TiO2 in the sunscreen (the anatase crystal form) is photoactive – when it absorbs UV light, it releases free radicals that speed up the oxidation of the underlying paint.
Read more »
July 16, 2008 |
Posted by Cal Baier-Anderson in
Consumer Products, Health, Risk Management, Worker Safety
Cal Baier-Anderson, Ph.D., is a Health Scientist.
Ah, summer! It’s a great time to be outdoors, enjoying the warm, sunny weather. Before you go outside, be sure to grab your sunscreen, that essential product that protects against skin cancer and sun damage. But which kind of sunscreen is best? There is a mesmerizing array of sunscreen options, but for our purposes let’s limit the question to one: Nano or not nano?
Read more »
July 9, 2008 |
Posted by Scott Walsh in
Consumer Products, Industry, Regulation, Risk Management
Scott Walsh, MBA, is a Project Manager.
Nanotechnology is a global phenomenon: Organizations all over the world are working to develop and deploy nanotechnology applications. Interest in minimizing the potential health, environmental and safety risks of nanotechnology is similarly global. One of many indications: Over the past year, EDF and DuPont's Nano Risk Framework has been downloaded more than 3,000 times in nearly 100 countries.
Recognizing the international interest in the Framework, EDF and DuPont have now made it available in three major languages: Mandarin, French, and Spanish. (The Framework's executive summary is also available in Portuguese.) These translations will allow organizations around the world to better understand and apply the Framework's guidance to assess, mitigate, and communicate about potential nanomaterial risks.
Read more »
July 2, 2008 |
Posted by Richard Denison in
EPA, Policy, Regulation, TSCA
Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.
[Links to posts in this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5]
This final post in this series goes to the ultimate question, where the nanorubber really hits the road: Can EPA regulate an “existing” nanomaterial’s production, use, or disposal under TSCA? Read more »
July 1, 2008 |
Posted by Richard Denison in
EPA, Policy, Regulation, TSCA
Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.
[Links to posts in this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5]
Let's now turn to dissecting just how limited EPA’s authorities are both to collect information that companies already possess on their nanomaterials, and to require companies to generate and submit new information. Read more »
June 27, 2008 |
Posted by Richard Denison in
EPA, Policy, Regulation, TSCA
Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.
[Links to posts in this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5]
This was going to be the last post in my series on the fate of nanomaterials under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), where I turn to what will likely be – at least in the near term – the most common regulatory scenario that will apply: the extent to which EPA has authority to regulate nanomaterials as “existing” chemicals under TSCA. But there’s so much to cover that I’ve decided to split this last topic into three separate posts. Read more »
June 24, 2008 |
Posted by John Balbus in
In Vitro, NAS, Nanomedicine, Research, Testing
John Balbus, M.D., M.P.H., is Chief Health Scientist.
A new paper by Shaw et al., published in May in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, “suggests a generalizable and scalable method for the systematic characterization and comparison of novel nanomaterials” using high throughput in vitro tests. Does this mean that the National Academy of Sciences’ vision for toxicity testing in the 21st century – proposed for conventional chemicals – is already here for nanomaterials? Not quite. Read more »
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