Senators Mark Pryor (D-AR) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced the Nanotechnology Safety Act of 2010, which would establish a program within the FDA to assess the health and safety implications of nanotechnology in everyday products and develop best practices for companies who employ nanotechnology.
A new European regulation will require cosmetics manufacturers to list any nanoparticles contained in products marketed within the European Union. The regulation states that all nanomaterial ingredients should be clearly indicated in the list of ingredients by inserting the word 'nano' in brackets after the ingredient listing.
Greater transparency and public engagement about the potential opportunities and risks presented by nanotechnology is required, according to a new report by The Australia Institute, What You Should Know about Nano.
The EPA just released its strategy for researching the dangers of nanotechnology. More than 1,000 products using nanomaterials are estimated to be on the market, an increase of 379 percent since March 2006. The EPA's nanotechnology research is described on its website.
Greater reporting requirements are needed for nanomaterials, according to a new report and an EPA official. The reporting would collect more environmental, health, and safety data on the growing nanotechnologies industry.
The environmental risks of nanotechnologies are being ignored, according to a paper by a global coalition on toxics. Citing research studies that show a significant ecological footprint, the authors caution that more governance and better understanding of nanomaterials are needed before they spread even further. "Nanomaterials themselves constitute a new generation of toxic chemicals," the authors claim.
This bill would reauthorize the multiagency research program established by Congress in 2003 and strengthen research to address environmental, health, and safety concerns that have arisen about nanomaterials.