Environmental regulatory issues related to nanotechnology

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News Articles

- Commission mulls law changes to cover nanomaterials
19 June 2008 - EurActiv, EU

- A shift in emphasis for the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative
6 June 2008 - SafeNano, UK

- EU to Pace Nanotechnology
29 May 2008 - Wall Street Journal, USA

- Pressure increases on EU to regulate nanotechnology
29 May 2008 - Ars Technica, USA

- EPA Nano Authority under TSCA, Part 2: “New” Isn’t Necessarily All That Better
27 May 2008 - Environmental Defense, USA

- NanoAction Calls for Legal and Regulatory Action to Control Exposure to Carbon Nanotubes
20 May 2008 - NanoAction, USA

- Overview of regulatory and voluntary measures for the handling of engineered nanomaterials in Europe
8 May 2008 - NanoWerk, USA

- Groups demand EPA stop sale of 200+ potentually dangerous nano-silver products
1 May 2008 - NanoAction, USA

Archives

Reports and Articles

Slow federal action to oversee nanotechnology leaves 'room at the bottom' - Nanotech Project, USA, April 2008

State and local governments often have adopted trailblazing initiatives to address environmental, health and safety concerns in advance or in lieu of federal action. With nanotechnology, an emerging field of science with unknown risks, this practice is continuing, a landmark study has found. Elected officials in Cambridge, MA, and Madison, WI, have also begun to look at similar reporting mechanisms.

Regulating Emerging Technologies in Silicon Valley and Beyond: Lessons from 1981 Chemical Spills in the Electronics Industry and Implications for Regulating Nanotechnology - Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, USA, April 2008

The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) report addresses the potential dangers of the rapidly expanding nanotechnology industry. SVTC is calling for new comprehensive state and federal regulatory policies that adequately address the potential hazards posed by nanotechnology. Nanomaterials are extremely diverse: many are highly reactive by design and have the potential for unexpected interactions with biological systems.

Converging technologies and environmental regulations - SKEP ERA-net : Scientific Knowledge for Environmental Protection
A literature review on converging technologies and environmental regulations

Nanotechnology Bound: Evaluating the Case for More Regulation - NanoEthics, USA, 1 October 2007
On one side, experts argue that nanomaterials, which are making their way into the marketplace today, are possibly harmful to consumers and the environment, so stronger and new laws are needed to ensure they are safe. On the other side, different experts argue that more regulation will slow down the pace of business and innovation in nanotechnology, or that self-regulation is the answer, or other opposing positions.

Principles for Nanotech Oversight - ICTA, AFL-CIO, FoE, IUF, ETC Group, Third World Network, Loka Institute, ... July 2007
The coalition's declaration outlines eight fundamental principles necessary for adequate and effective oversight and assessment of the emerging field of nanotechnology, citing Risks to the Public, Workers, and the Environment.
I. A Precautionary Foundation
II. Mandatory Nano-specific Regulations
III. Health and Safety of the Public and Workers
IV. Environmental Protection
V. Transparency
VI. Public Participation
VII. Inclusion of Broader Impacts
VIII. Manufacturer Liability

Where Does the Nano Go? New Report on End-of-Life Regulation of Nanotechnologies - Woodrow Wilson Center, USA, July 2007

All materials and products eventually come to the end of their useful life, and those made with nanotechnology are no different. This means that engineered nanomaterials will ultimately enter the waste stream and find their way into landfills or incinerators—and eventually into the air, soil and water. As a result, it is important to consider how various forms of nanomaterials will be disposed of and treated at the end of their use

Nanomaterials: Undersized, Unregulated and Already Here - Corporate Watch, 2007
Just as nanomaterial commercialisation has overtaken research into safety, it has also left the regulators lagging behind. Nanomaterials currently exist in a regulatory vacuum with no laws in the UK, or anywhere else in the world, to deal with the specific set of problems they raise. Despite this, over 100 products are already on the market, unlabelled and effectively unregulated.

EPA and Nanotechnology: Oversight for the 21st Century - Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, May 2007

The report examines the EPA role in nanotechnology oversight. It considers various oversight tools for dealing with nanotechnology and proposes a number of action steps for government, industry, and other stakeholders.

BUND Position “For the Responsible Management of Nanotechnology” - Friends of the Earth Germany, April 2007
The report contains a description of the effects and consequences of nanotechnology for humans and the environment, BUND-Considerations on the sustainable development of nanotechnology, and BUND-Recommendations for the responsible handling of nanotechnology.

Legal appraisal of nanotechnologies - Existing legal framework, the need for regulation and regulative options at a European and a national level - The Umweltbundesamt (UBA), Germany's Federal Environment Agency, March 2007
The report develops approaches to filling regulatory gaps for nanotechnology and gives recommendations for the further regulatory course of action on nanomaterials

Nanotechnology and Life Cycle Assessment: A Systems Approach to Nanotechnology and the Environment - Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, March 2007
The European Commission (EC) and the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published a report on the need to assess the impact of nanomaterials and nanoproducts on the environment and on human health.

The report is the result of a workshop held in October 2006, in which 25 nanotechnology and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) experts from around the world discussed ways to identify risks, and rewards, that may arise from the use of nanotechnology.

Discussion Paper on a Policy Framework for Nanotechnology - Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy (CIELAP), March 2007
The following are twelve key elements that CIELAP believes must be addressed in any Canadian policy framework for nanotechnology: (1) Basic societal goals; (2) Public education and engagement; (3) An inventory of activities and information sources; (4) Lead agencies; (5)
Technical issues such as terminology and metrology; (6) Regulatory approach, including science, risk assessment, and stakeholder involvement; (7) Labeling and consumer protection; (8) Liability and intellectual property regimes; (9) Science and research support; (10) Commercialization and social and economic benefits; (11) Training; and (12) Security concerns.
CIELAP’s perspective on each of these twelve topics is presented in the discussion.

Nanotechnology - Policy & Position paper - Greenpeace, February 2007
In response to the wide range of dangers and concerns associated with the release of nanoparticles into the environment and into human systems, coupled with the likely disruptive social and economic impacts of nanotechnology, Greenpeace call for a strongly precautionary and publicly transparent approach to the development of nanotechnology.

Characterizing the Environmental, Health, and Safety Implications of Nanotechnology: Where Should the Federal Government Go From Here? - ICF International, December 2006
ICF analyzes the U.S. Federal Government’s research efforts to answer environmental, health, and safety (EHS) questions about nanotechnology. The report describes an urgent need to chart a more aggressive course when it comes to answering such questions and concludes that sound management is as important as good science. In the report, ICF builds an integrated framework for addressing the challenge and provides 14 specific recommendations about the path forward for U.S. policy.

Nanotechnology’s Invisible Threat: Small Science, Big Consequences - Natural Resource Defense Council, December 2006
Nanotechnologies are still new, and there are big unanswered questions about their potentially harmful effects on our health and the environment. Current regulations fail to guarantee consumers that these new technologies are safe to use.
That’s why NRDC is pushing the government to move quickly to catch up to the technology and ensure the safety of our consumer products.

Assessing the Environmental Risks for Australia - Earth Policy Centre, September 2006
"With initial scientific studies indicating that nanomaterials present a range of risks to human health and the environment, the current regulatory oversight of nanomaterials in Australia is inadequate. Until the federal government can legitimately uphold the public interest by providing a healthy environment and protecting consumers and workers from the harms of nanomaterials, a full moratorium on the release of all nanomaterials should be implemented immediately".

Nanotechnology and Regulation within the framework of the Precautionary Principle - Institut für ökologische
Wirtschaftsforschu, February 2004
The release of nano-particles in the environment should be avoided.
The state of research concerning. The behaviour of nano-particles is actually rather limited, preliminary as well as contradictory. Nevertheless, the advice to avoid the release of nanoparticles to the environment might be appropriate and would be in accordance with the Precautionary Principle.