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Released on Thursday 10 May 2012
The Strategic
Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) is expected to this month publish the comments it had received
regarding a proposal
to add activities related to nanotechnology to its Global Plan of Action; the
NIA was amongst those who submitted comments to SAICM.
According to the body the proposal, made by Switzerland, was
'formatted in accordance with the
existing Global Plan of Action of the Strategic Approach' and suggests 'the inclusion of a new work area on
nanotechnologies and manufactured nanomaterials, with corresponding activities,
actors, [and]...
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Switzerland, Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management, SAICM, Third International Conference on Chemicals Management, ICCM3, Global Plan of Action of the Strategic Approach, Nanotechnology Industries Association, NIA
Released on Friday 4 May 2012
On the 1st May 2012 a
press release by New Zealand's Environment
Protection Authority (EPA) announced that it had decided to offer Johnson & Johnson NZ Ltd the chance
to submit further information regarding a proposed nanomaterial labelling
requirement, but that the extra materials would have to be received by the 11th
May 2012.
The release states that, upon this submission, hearing
participants will be given the chance to comment on that further information as
well on other relevant data regarding the labelling requirements.
All further
information received by the...
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New Zealand, New Zealand Environment Protection Authority, NZ EPA, Johnson & Johnson, labelling requirements
Released on Friday 4 May 2012
The US
President recently filed an executive order, the stated aim of which is to 'promot[e] international regulatory
cooperation' in, amongst other areas, 'emerging
technology'. The order states that such a move would be beneficial to the
current administration's goals to make certain that 'our regulatory system...protect[s] public health, welfare, safety, and
our environment while promoting economic growth, innovation, competitiveness,
and job creation'.
In the order the President states that, in some cases, the
approaches taken by US regulatory agencies need not differ from the...
moreTags:
US, US Executive Order, regulation
Released on Thursday 3 May 2012
A recently
released document by the US Congressional
Research Service (CRS) has outlined the country's support for
nanotechnology. The paper, 'Nanotechnology:
A Policy Primer', gives an overview of the three areas it believes are
crucial for the 'realization of this
hoped for potential' along with a look at the issues regarding public
engagement and nanomanufacturing. The primer also informs readers of the
structure and the funding for the National
Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI).
Two of the three primary areas highlighted by the primer are
the federal research and development...
moreTags:
US, environmental health and safety, EHS, public engagement
Released on Wednesday 2 May 2012
A survey
conducted by the Risk Dialogue Foundation
and the Swiss Federal Office of Public
Health in Switzerland and Germany in 2011 has found that, in comparison
to three years prior, 'consumers know
less about nanotechnologies' fields of application, and the knowledge [that] they
do have is less precise'. The report, entitled 'Nanotechnologien aus der Sicht von Konsumenten' (Nanotechnology from
the Consumer's point of view), draws its conclusions by comparing its
findings to that of similar surveys conducted in 2008
and 2010.
The new assessment shows that although attitudes...
moreTags:
Germany, Switzerland, German Bundesamt für Gesundheit, German BAG, Risk Dialogue Foundation, Stiftung Risiko-Dialog, consumer survey
Released on Wednesday 25 April 2012
Switzerland's
Federal Assembly has announced that it will be prolonging the life of its 'Action Plan on Synthetic Nanomaterials',
albeit with new priorities set for it. The plan, initially conceived in 2008,
will be subject to a progress report in 2014.
The action plan aims to create the conditions for the
passing of appropriate nano-regulations by providing basic methodologies as
well as initiating dialogue between industry, science and consumer protection
agencies. It states that its test methods were designed through international
cooperation and that its future regulations...
moreTags:
Switzerland, International Standards Organisation, ISO, Action Plan on Synthetic Nanomaterials, Aktionsplan Synthetische Nanomaterialien, regulations
Released on Wednesday 21 March 2012
'Information
on all running or recently completed projects funded under the Seventh
Framework Programme (FP7)' can now be found in the recently released
third edition of the European
Commission's 'Compendium of Projects in
the European NanoSafety Cluster'. This cluster 'is structured into highly interlinked working groups that cover the
domains Materials, Hazards, Exposure, Databases, Risks, Modelling and
Dissemination'.The document contains all 29 projects in the cluster and
aims to familiarise researchers in the programme with one another's work, thus
encouraging 'collaboration...
moreTags:
EU, European Commission, EC, NanoSafety Cluster, EU Seventh Framework Programme, EU FP7
Released on Tuesday 20 March 2012
Sweden's
Environment Minister has written in an article that she will 'propose that the EU Commission urgently
investigates the possibility of a joint reporting system as well as other tools
within the EU to enable citizens to feel safe in the use of nanomaterials'.
The minister, Lena Ek, acknowledged that 'nanomaterials can be of significant
benefit' not only as solutions to 'global
challenges' but also to society 'through
new jobs, increased competitiveness of the industry, improved health care and
more sustainable resource use'. The article did comment, however, that
there are...
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Europe, EU, Sweden, regulation, risk assessment, environmental health and safety, EHS
Released on Thursday 15 March 2012
A conference
held by the Institute for Environmental
Strategies (Ökopol) between the 21st
and 22nd of February has discussed the 'traceability
of nanomaterials placed on the markets', with the aim of creating an understanding
of different options and approaches to the topic, as well as promoting an
exchange of opinion amongst the stakeholders present at the event.
The
discussions focused around four key questions:
Should reporting requirements on nanomaterials
be implemented at the EU and national levelsWhich products should be subject to these
requirementsWhat information...
moreTags:
EU, Germany, Oekopol, Institute for Environmental Strategies, regulations
Released on Thursday 15 March 2012
A new
report by the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) has urged policy-makers to 'react quickly' to the safety issues
posed by emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology, because they 'are not well understood'.
The document, entitled 'OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050: The
Consequences of Inaction', discusses nanotechnology at length in 'Chapter 6: Health and Environment'. The
section summarises the characteristics and main concerns surrounding nanoparticles
before calling for policies of 'work sharing
on the assessment of chemicals and development...
moreTags:
OECD, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, risk assessment, environmental health and safety, EHS