The US Consumers Union petitioned the US Food and Drug Administration to ‘require a full safety assessment on the use of engineered nanoparticles particularly in cosmetics, sunscreens and sunblocks, and to investigate possible enforcement action to ensure accurate labeling as to the presence or absence of nanoparticles.’

According to the Consumers Union, the petition is based on new findings published in the latest edition of the Consumer Reports.

• to require manufacturers to disclose the presence of nanoparticles on the label of any cosmetic or over-the-counter drug product that contain such particles, and to immediately investigate misstatements by manufacturers to Consumer Reports about absence of these nanoparticles in sunscreen products.
• FDA to investigate whether the failure to disclose the presence of nanoparticles renders these sunscreen products misbranded, within the meaning of Section 201(n) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, codified at 21 U.S.C. § 321(n), in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 332(b).