January 2012

The federal government needs a better plan and additional funding to assess the environmental and health risks posed by nanomaterials, a National Research Council panel said in a report released on January 25, 2012.

The report, "A Research Strategy for Environmental, Health, and Safety Aspects of Engineered Nanomaterials", was authored by the ad hoc NRC Committee to Develop a Research Strategy for Environmental, Health, and Safety Aspects of Engineered Nanomaterials.

The report of the 19-scientist Committee presents a strategic approach for developing research and a scientific infrastructure needed to address potential health and environmental risks of nanomaterials. Its effective implementation would require sufficient management and budgetary authority to direct research across federal agencies – which does not currently exist.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) filed a federal suit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on January 26, 2012, seeking to overturn EPA's decision to conditionally approve nanosilver under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). It marks the first time ever that EPA's approval of a nanoscale chemical has been challenged in court. The NRDC petition was filed with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, headquartered in San Francisco, Calif.

The NRDC petition claims that sales of the nanosilver-based pesticide should be halted because the health risks of the substance are unknown. The environmental advocacy group, which has been highlighting potential safety concerns about the use of ultra-tiny silver particles as an antimicrobial agent for several years, accused the EPA of giving the manufacturer a “four-year free pass” by allowing the pesticide to come to market before health and safety testing has been completed.

A project funded by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has resulted in the development of a new nanomaterial risk assessment tool called NanoRiskCat (NRC). The project's aim was to identify, categorize, and rank exposures and effects of nanomaterials used in consumer and industrial products based on data available in the peer-reviewed scientific literature and other regulatory relevant sources of information and data. The primary focus was on nanomaterials relevant for professional end-users and consumers, as well as nanomaterials released into the environment. The tool is a valuable step but needs to be further validated and tested on a series of various nano products in order to adjust and optimize the concept.

The project report, NanoRiskCat - A Conceptual Decision Support Tool for Nanomaterials, is 268-pages long.  I've provided what I hope is a succinct, but still sufficiently robust, summary of the NRC project and report below, from the report's Executive Summary. 

On 12/20/11, the National Institute of Standards and Technology issued the world's first standard reference material for single-wall carbon nanotubes. 

NIST also issued a proposed material safety data sheet for single-wall carbon nanotubes.

Carbon nanotubes are the most commonly used nanomaterial in industrial applications and both the reference material and MSDS are important to companies that make or use single-wall carbon nanotubes. Having NIST's reference materials provides an important starting point for companies developing their own SWCNTs or developing applications for existing SWCNTs.

In a new report, “The Sourcing Framework for Food and Food Packaging Products Containing Nanomaterials”, by the United States-based non-profit organization, As You Sow, sxperts in environmental health issues teamed with major companies to advise food industries to exercise caution when using nano-sized, manmade creations as nutritional additives, flavorings, colorings, or anti-bacterial coatings for packaging.

As You Sow teamed up with several major food companies, including Kraft, McDonald’s, Whole Foods, Yum! Brands, and Pepsi, to create the Framework. According to the study, as "food and food packaging companies explore the use of nanomaterials to enhance products, they need also attend to potential risks introduced."

The Innovation Society and Marsh Risk Consulting will be holding a free webinar (English language), “Managing Nano Risk – Implementation of a Risk Management System for Nanomaterials,” on February 23, 2012.

For a company with a connection to nanomaterials, and its insurers, it is difficult to judge whether there are hidden risks to workers or customers due to uncertainty in health, safety and environmental (HSE) data. Furthermore it is difficult for a company to anticipate the future development in nanomaterials regulation globally. The webinar aims to provide useful information about those issues.

On December 28, 2011, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed significant new use rules (SNURs) for 17 chemicals, more than a dozen of which were carbon nanotubes and fullerenes.