Tag: nanotechnology

SPECIAL REPORT / Nanotechnologies that deliver fertilisers to plants offer promising ways of improving farm productivity while reducing the risk of water contamination. But the scientists behind a new Swiss-funded study caution that while the technology is still evolving, potential risks must be considered.

The upcoming review of the REACH chemicals regulation provides an opportunity to close the loopholes on the legislation and regulate nanomaterials, endocrine disrupters and chemical cocktails, writes Monique Goyens.

The European Commission's hesitance to define nanotechnology underscores diverging opinions among stakeholders and is causing uncertainty in the sector, it emerged this week.

Ahead of a regulatory review next year, the Belgian EU Presidency is proposing to create a specific register for nanomaterials under the bloc's REACH chemicals regulation and wants to make it mandatory to label their presence in consumer products.

Big-name retailers like Tesco and Carrefour should help prepare consumers for innovations in the food sector, according to the top civil servant in the EU executive's directorate for health and consumer protection.

The EU executive plans to respond positively to the European Parliament's call for a number of EU policies and regulations covering health and environmental safety issues related to nanomaterials to be reviewed. 

The highest-ranked health official in the EU executive has hit out at lobby groups who stoke fear of nanotechnology. Robert Madelin, director-general at the European Commission's health and consumer affairs directorate, said it was "irresponsible" to use panic in order to attract attention.

The European Parliament last week backed a controversial report by Swedish Green MEP Carl Schlyter urging the European Commission to revise its stance on nanomaterials. MEPs said all nanomaterials should be considered as new substances, and that existing legislation does not take into account the risks associated with nanotechnology.

The European Parliament yesterday (24 March) updated legislation on cosmetics to take account of advances in nanotechnology. Reactions to the news have been mixed, with consumer groups urging earlier implementation of the proposal and Green MEPs unhappy with the definition of nanomaterials.

A new study has revealed deep divisions on how nanotechnology should be regulated, with environmental lobby groups seeking a moratorium until products are proven to be safe, and industry proposing that specific guidelines be introduced to supplement existing regulations.

Existing toxicity testing approaches can be used for case-by-case risk assessment of nanomaterials in food, according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which says there is limited data available on oral exposure to nanoparticles.

Nanotechnology, which concerns the study of and working with matter on an ultra-small scale, is widely perceived as one of the key technologies of the 21st century with a potential to grow into a 1 trillion euro industry within a decade. Fears are growing that the field could develop into a political battleground with fiery debates about environmental and ethical consequences and dangers - just as has happened in the field of biotechnology.

While the Union's cautious approach to granting market authorisation to new technology applications like GMOs or products derived from nanotechnology has meant that EU has not suffered from any major backlash, it could also mean the bloc is missing out on major opportunities to improve its competitiveness, argued a policy analyst from a Brussels-based think tank in an interview with EurActiv.com.

European labour unions have called on the European Commission to amend the REACH regulation on chemicals to better protect workers against nanomaterials throughout their lifecycle. Their call comes shortly after the EU executive argued that nanotech is already covered by existing EU regulation.

Nanotechnology is considered as being the next strategic technology, but consumer confidence in the safety of nanotech products is a precondition for their future commercialisation and market uptake. 

Engineers at the University of California, San Diego have demonstrated that nanoparticles can increase the efficiency with which sunlight can be converted into electricity in thin-film photovoltaics, opening new prospects for solar electricity.

The winner, or winners, of the first ever science prize for outstanding achievement in nanosciences will be announced next month by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. 

An EU scientific committee has concluded that current risk-assessment methods for nanomaterials used in cosmetics, in particular sunscreen, are not thorough enough. 

Europe's favourable public opinion on nanotechnology could help the EU to take the lead in this promising research field as recent survey results suggest that a majority of Americans, based on religious beliefs, find it morally unacceptable.

Before the end of 2007, the Commission will have completed an inventory of existing EU regulations to see whether specific nanotech legislation is needed. In the meantime, a spokeswoman for Research Commissioner Janez Potočnik said the EU's REACH regulation on chemicals will be applied.

A new industry report identifies lack of venture capital and patents as two of the barriers to the commercialisation of nanotechnology in Europe.

As lack of scientific data on nanotech's health and environmental risks impedes the development of specific legislation, NGOs call for the application of the precautionary principle. "The need for more evidence does not have to stop us from taking action now," they claim.

Research on nanotechnologies' potential benefits is not enough, argues a United Nations report, which calls for more investment into investigating the effects of nanoparticles on human health and the environment.

A citizens' conference on nanotechnologies in France found public information on nanosciences difficult to access for non-specialists.