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 principle and to remove E171 from the EU list of permitted food additives that are currently used mainly to colour confectionery, bakery and pastry products as well as chewing gum, candies, chocolates, and ice cream.”  The adopted resolution describes titanium dioxide (E171) as “a food…

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 identified and justified to establish a priority list of nanomaterials for risk assessment (Article 16(4) Reg.1223/2009).  The EC asked that SCCS provide a description of the specific concerns that have been identified.  The preliminary opinion states that SCCS has identified certain aspects of nanomaterials that…

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: A Decade of Progress and Innovation in Nanotechnology at U.S. FDA; Considering Whether an FDA-Regulated Product Involves the Application of Nanotechnology; Regulatory Science Research in Nanotechnology; Drug Products That Contain Nanomaterials; Nanotechnology and Medical Devices: A Regulatory Science Approach Involving Research, Standards, and Risk Assessment; Food Ingredients and Food Contact Substances Containing Nanomaterials: Guidance for Manufacturing Process…

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 meetings.  No listing decisions will be made at the meeting.  According to OEHHA’s prioritization document for these chemicals, in the most recent application of the prioritization process, OEHHA applied both a human and an animal data screen to candidate chemicals in its tracking database.  OEHHA…

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 European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) September 30, 2020, weekly news, companies that have already registered their nanoforms do not need to take any immediate action, but will be required to provide a name in the next update of their registration dossier.  ECHA states that a new…

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 fit for purpose.”  The report makes three key recommendations intended to ensure patient safety and enable the European Union (EU) to harness fully the potential of this technology: Developing a scientific consensus on definitions for nanomedicines in Europe, improving education and fostering awareness on the…

On September 17, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published final significant new use rules (SNUR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for chemical substances that were the subject of premanufacture notices (PMN) and are subject to Orders issued by EPA pursuant to TSCA.  85 Fed. Reg. 57968.  The SNURs require persons who intend to manufacture (defined by statute to include import) or process any of these chemical substances for an activity that is proposed as a significant new use to notify EPA at least 90 days before commencing that activity.  The final SNURs include one for carbon…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced on August 24, 2020, that it will invest a total of $84 million over five years in a renewal of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI).  According to NSF, “NNCI’s 16 sites and coordinating office provide researchers from academia, large and small businesses, and government with access to leading-edge fabrication and characterization tools, instrumentation, and expertise across all disciplines of nanoscale science, engineering and technology.”  NSF states that NNCI sites are in 15 states and involve 26 university and partner institutions.  The new NSF awards range from $600,000 to $1.5 million per year for…

On September 15, 2020, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) called for grant proposals on the use of new approach methodologies (NAM) for the hazard assessment of cellulose nanofibers.  EFSA states that the use of cellulose at the nanoscale is increasing and requires an assessment.  According to EFSA, the main concern is that the nanoscale characteristics (e.g., length/shape of the fibers) may influence the toxicokinetic and hazardous properties of cellulose nanofibers.  The main objective of the call is to design and conduct a set of NAM-based studies for addressing the current data gaps and to offer a proposal for including…

This week’s All Things Chemical Podcast will be of interest to readers of the Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Blog.  A brief description of the episode written by Lynn L. Bergeson is below. This week I sat down with Vincent Caprio, Founder and Executive Director of the NanoBusiness Commercialization Association (NanoBCA).  Vince has been on the forefront of nano innovations and optimizing opportunities for businesses to commercialize their nano creations for more than two decades.  In founding the NanoBCA, Vince has placed it at the center of nanotechnology commercialization, national policy, law, and business since the beginning of the…

According to the Summer 2020 edition of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) Quarterly Newsletter, the 2020-2021 National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) nanomaterial environmental, health, and safety (nanoEHS) webinars will begin in November 2020.  According to the Newsletter, the Nanotechnology Environmental and Health Implications (NEHI) Working Group is planning nanoEHS webinars to present progress in the following areas:  nanomaterial measurement infrastructure; human exposure assessment; human health; environment; risk assessment and risk management methods; and informatics and modeling.  The Newsletter notes that these are the research areas identified in the NNI Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Strategy (NNI EHS Research Strategy).  The…

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has posted the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (BAuA) substance evaluation conclusion document for multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), synthetic graphite in tubular shape and tangled.  The conclusion provides a summary of how the information on the substance can be used for the purposes of regulatory risk management. Concern(s) Subject to Evaluation MWCNTs were originally selected for substance evaluation to clarify concerns about: Wide spread use; Consumer use; Discrepancy in self-classification between different registrants of the joint submission(s); Differences in physico-chemical properties that affect toxicity, e., number of different registered nanoforms and the…

On August 31, 2020, the European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) published a Nanopinion entitled “Nanosilver in healthcare — does the silver bullet exist?” by Dr. Dorota Napierska, Chemicals Policy and Projects Officer, Health Care Without Harm Europe (HCWH Europe).  Napierska examines how beneficial the properties of nanosilver are in clinical settings and the risks involved.  Napierska notes that a key point in assessing the toxicity of nanosilver is to adopt toxicological standardized assessment methods that are suitable for nanomaterials.  According to Napierska, “there are still significant uncertainties regarding required environmental risk assessment for nanomaterials.”  Napierska states…