EPA DELAYS DATE OF NANOMATERIALS RULE
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it will delay the effective date of its new Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reporting and record-keeping requirements for nanoscale materials until August 14, 2017.
Initially set to take effect on May 12, the new TSCA rule requires manufacturers, importers, and processors of nanoscale materials to submit a one-time electronic report to EPA. Submission requirements include specific chemical identity, production volume, method of manufacture and processing, use data, exposure and release information, and available health and safety data for the nanomaterial.
The Rule includes new regulatory definitions for the terms “nanomaterials” and “unique and novel properties.” It also exempts certain materials—including certain biological materials like DNA and RNA—from the new reporting requirements. The extension follows repeated requests for increased guidance on several aspects of the rule.
Natural Resources Canada (NRC) is providing $1.7m to the University of Alberta-based nanotechnology accelerator Ingenuity Lab to fund the ongoing development of carbon nanotube mesh to clean-up oil spills. Using a carbon nanotube mesh combined with other minerals and polymers, Ingenuity Lab’s system acts as a sponge that attracts and absorbs oil underwater. When it is fully saturated with oil, the mesh is then removed from the water and exposed to heat, electricity or ultraviolet light, causing it to expel the collected oil. The technology is far more advanced than current methods of containing a spill, which usually involve floating booms and skimming oil from the water’s surface. Ingenuity Lab’s system would make a substantial difference should the world see another event on the scale of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, or the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989.
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has created a web page for the Nanomaterials Expert Group (NMEP), . NMEP aims to seek common ground among experts on scientific and technical issues regarding the implementation of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation, the Classification, Labeling, and Packaging (CLP) regulation, and the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR) for nanomaterials. Read more at https://echa.europa.eu/regulations/nanomaterials/nanomaterials-expert-group
The European Commission (EC) has issued checklists for applicants submitting dossiers on cosmetic ingredients to be evaluated by its Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS).
Nanomaterials are included in the checklists there is a requirement for EC to be notified six months prior to marketing of a cosmetic product containing nanomaterials and that nanoscale ingredients be labelled. Read the checklist at https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01517682/document
