Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.
For the past several years, EDF has been in the thick of discussions about whether the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA) needs reform and, if so, what form it should take. Happily, the former question has largely been answered: With only a few remaining holdouts, even the chemical industry acknowledges the time has come. So now we can move on to what such reform should look like – and what it should not. Read More
Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.
You may have noticed some subtle changes to the look of this page. That’s because EDF has decided to expand the focus of this blog to include the policy, legislative, regulatory and scientific issues surrounding the health and environmental impacts of chemicals, as well as nanomaterials. Read More
Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.
In a previous post, I argued that the European Union’s REACH Regulation for chemicals goes a long way to address the regulatory needs for nanomaterials – despite the fact that REACH never mentions nano and was not developed with nano in mind. I also noted, however, that REACH will clearly need more than fine-tuning to ensure adequate nano oversight. Apparently at least some in the European Parliament agree. Read More
Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.
Some months ago, my colleague John Balbus posted here about studies finding that when multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are injected into the abdominal cavities of mice, they induce inflammation and mesothelioma-like reactions similar to those caused by asbestos. He appropriately cautioned that – among other critical questions – these studies had not demonstrated that inhaled MWCNTs could actually move out of the lung and into the tissues where asbestos gives rise to its effects. Well, that particular dot now appears to have been connected. Read More
Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.
As one who has closely followed the emergence of nanotechnology, I am sure I was not alone several years ago in welcoming what appeared to be a refreshingly new attitude among a broad range of stakeholders toward the introduction of this new set of technologies and materials. Calls from my organization to “get nanotech right the first time” were echoed widely. Perhaps the most frequently used metaphor, though, was that a “window of opportunity” had opened to do things differently this time. But I increasingly fear that the window is closing. Read More
Cal Baier-Anderson, Ph.D., is a Health Scientist.
In May 2008, the International Center for Technology Assessment (ICTA) submitted a petition to EPA requesting that it regulate nano-silver used in products as a pesticide under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The petition calls on EPA to take the following specific actions:
