Detailed report frames legal definitions for nanotechnology
Nanomaterials take a step closer to major EU regulation
The special properties of nanomaterials are a step closer to becoming controlled through a comprehensive EU regulation, having been defined by the EU’s scientific committee on emerging and newly identified health risks.
It has released an extensive report that specifies how nanomaterials can be identified, not just through their tiny scale, but by how they appear and behave within consumer products. This includes their tendency to form crystals; their attraction or loss of electrons; photocatalytic activity; surface electrical charges; water solubility; and others. The report also says how different nanoparticles can be assessed as nanocomposites and be classified according to whether a base particle reduced to nano-scale is natural or artificial.
The report explains: “With the expected increase in the applications of nanotechnology, there is an urgent need to identify by clear unequivocal descriptions what can be considered as a nanomaterial and what should not be.”
One key issue is the increase of surface area of a substance caused by its division into nanoparticles, which can increase their impact on living tissue, maybe causing “an increase in biological activity or toxicity.” The report explains: “It is this uncertainty that warrants the careful evaluation of possible risks associated with nanotechnology products.”
Elsewhere, a call has been made for creating a specific nanomaterials register under the EU’s REACH chemical control system. Coming from the EU’s current Belgian presidency, Belgium’s environment minister Paul Magnette notes: "Nanomaterials are increasingly present in consumer products and everyday items."