The European Commission has launched a Public Consultation to prepare for a one-day Scientific Hearing on Nanotechnology, which will take place on 10 September 2009 in Brussels.

• identification of any possible topics which have not been covered in the opinions from the relevant EU Risk Assessment Committees and Bodies;
• identification of what are -according to current scientific knowledge- the main potential risks that could emerge from the use of nanomaterials in the future; and
• identification of the issues to be discussed at the hearing including provision of background information and comments on those issues.

The outcome of the consultation will be presented at the Scientific Hearing in September.

The hearing will focus on the scientific aspects of the issues covered in the following opinions of the EC’s Scientific Committees:

• Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR): in its latest opinion, entitled ‘Opinion on: Risk Assessment of Products of nanotechnologies’, the SCENIHR builds on and confirms / further develops the findings reported in its earlier opinions published in 2006 (cf. ‘The appropriateness of existing methodologies to assess the potential risks associated with engineered and adventitious products of nanotechnologies’) and 2007 (‘Opinion on the appropriateness of the risk assessment methodology in accordance with the technical guidance documents for new and existing substances for assessing the risks of nanomaterials’, and ‘Opinion on the scientific aspects of the existing and proposed definitions relating to products of nanoscience and nanotechnologies’). 

• Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP) (now replaced by the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS)): 2008: ‘Opinion on Safety of Nanomaterials in Cosmetic Products ‘

Interested parties are invited to send their comments via the following website.

Deadline for submission of comments: 19 June 2009

Follow these links to find out more about SCENIHR and its latest opinion, to find out more about the SCCP, or to read the full EC announcement on the Public Consultation and Scientific Hearing.

Related Links:
NIA speaks up for nanomaterials in cosmetics
In preparation of the upcoming European Parliament debate on the recast of the European Cosmetics Directive, German Tagesschau (News) published the reprint of a radio interview (HR) with the responsible European Parliament rapporteur Dagmar Roth-Behrens (German Social Democrats (SPD)) and Steffi Friedrichs, Director of the Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA). (24th March 2009)

‘Small does not mean more toxic’ says EC Scientific Committee
The EC’s Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) has published its opinion on the most recent developments in the risk assessment of nanomaterials. (18th February 2009)