The European Chemicals Agency Board of Appeal has ruled that chemical companies operating in the EU are not required to provide specific information about the nanoscale forms of their substances.
The Board of Appeal annulled a 2014 European Chemicals Agency decision that required a group of companies to provide more information in their REACH registration dossiers about the substance identity of nanoforms of titanium dioxide, which is used in applications such as paints and adhesives.
The Board of Appeal said REACH (Regulation No. 1907/2006 on the registration, evaluation and authorization of chemicals) does not require companies to provide in their registration dossiers nano-specific substance identity information separately from substance identity information relating to the bulk form of the substance. The chemicals agency exceeded its powers by asking for nano-specific information.
The EU NanoSafety Cluster has published its 2017 Research Regulatory Roadmap. The purpose of the Roadmap is to identify both ongoing and complete activities associated with the development of regulations promoting the safety of nanomaterials. The Roadmap identifies research areas or priorities that need to be addressed further to facilitate this process. According to the Roadmap, there remain significant gaps in knowledge and procedures that need to be addressed to generate “appropriate and proportionate regulation for nanomaterials that is informed by a sound evidence base.” Read more at https://www.nanosafetycluster.eu/uploads/files/pdf/RRR_Final_version_090317.pdf
The South Korean government is planning to invest 514.1 billion won (US$447 million) in nanotechnology this year. Last year, 10 government agencies and 11 government-funded research institutes in the country invested a total of 518.1 billion won (US$450 million) . The investment to be made this year is divided into 429.8 billion won (US$373 million) in R&D, 35.5 billion won (US$30 million) in infrastructure and 49.3 billion won (US$42 million) in manpower training.
A project to introduce nanotechnology-based antimicrobial packaging, in order to enhance food safety and reduce waste, has received €7.7 million in funding from the European Union.
The NanoPack project, led by the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, aims to develop state-of-the-art packaging solutions based on natural nanomaterials. “NanoPack will demonstrate a solution for extending food shelf life by using novel smart antimicrobial surfaces, applied in active food packaging products,” said Dr Ester Segal, NanoPack’s coordinator and associate professor at the Technion.
