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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.
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? (more…)
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. (more…)
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. (more…)
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. (more…)
Cal Baier-Anderson, Ph.D., is a Health Scientist.
The proliferation of nanoscale materials in consumer products is impressive: nano titanium dioxide and zinc oxide in sunscreen, buckyballs in face creams, and nanosilver in socks are but a few examples of what is currently available for purchase. But they make me wonder: what happens when the nanomaterials in or released from these products are washed down the drain? (more…)
