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US EPA seeks public Comments on Nano-Silver Pesticide Registration

Published: Thursday 19 August 2010

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is proposing to register conditionally a pesticide product containing nanosilver as a new active ingredient for a period of four years. According to a posting on Nanotechnology Law Blog, maintained by Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., the announcement was made simultaneously with the EPA’s publication of and opening of a public consultation on a draft case-study on nano-silver in disinfectant sprays.

According to EPA, the antimicrobial pesticide product, HeiQ AGS-20, is a silver-based product that is proposed for use as a preservative for textiles. As a condition of registration, EPA is proposing to require additional product chemistry, toxicology, exposure, and environmental data. EPA states that it will ‘evaluate these data as they are submitted during the period of the conditional registration to confirm the product will not cause unreasonable adverse effects to human health and the environment.’

Under EPA’s new policy concerning public involvement in registration decisions, EPA is providing a 30-day opportunity for public comments on the proposed registration. Public comments will be accepted until the 11th September 2010. All relevant documents can be found on the regulations.gov website (search for EPA docket numberEPA-HQ-OPP-2009-1012: ‘Registration of a new active ingredient for Nanosilver used as a antimicrobial and perservative additive used to treat fibers, plastics, polymers, latex products and ceramics’): follow these links to download the Public Participation document, to download the initial announcement of registration application (31st March 2010 Federal Register  (Vol. 75, No. 61, page 16109), or to Submit Comments/Attachments.

The EPA’s initiative is understood to be based largely on meeting and report by the EPA Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) on the topic ‘Evaluation of Hazard and Exposure Associated with Nanosilver and Other Nanometal Oxide Pesticide Products’ (held in Arlington VA, on the 3rd to the 5th November 2009). 

 
Related Links:
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a draft document entitled ‘‘Nanomaterial Case Study: Nanoscale Silver in Disinfectant Spray’’ (EPA/600/R–10/081), intended to ‘serve as part of a process to help identify and prioritize scientific and technical information that could be used in conducting comprehensive environmental assessments (CEA) of selected nanomaterials.’ (13th August 2010)
 
On the 29th and 30th April 2010, the Pesticides Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC) of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discussed the use of nanomaterials by the pesticides industry, as well as the related policy considerations: [...] (2nd May 2010)
 
The US Environmental Protection Agency has released the minutes of its recent EPA Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) Meeting on the topic ‘Evaluation of Hazard and Exposure Associated with Nanosilver and Other Nanometal Oxide Pesticide Products’ (held in Arlington VA, on the 3rd to the 5th November 2009). (6th February 2010)
 
The Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA) has submitted Comments to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the ‘Petition for Rulemaking Requesting EPA Regulate Nanoscale Silver Products as Pesticides’. (20th March 2009)