EPA Watchdog Recommends Action on Nanomaterials

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Office of Inspector General (IG) has issued a report critical of how effectively the agency “is managing the human health and environmental risks of nanomaterials.” Noting that EPA has the statutory authority to regulate nanomaterials, the IG found that it “currently lacks the environmental and human health exposure and toxicological data to do so effectively.”

The IG also found that lack of coordination between program offices, EPA’s
failure to communicate with stakeholders on nanomaterial risk issues and
limitations in existing statutes that regulate chemicals “present significant
barriers to effective nanomaterial management when combined with existing
resource challenges.” The agency has responded to the report by agreeing
with the IG’s recommendation to “develop a process to assure effective
dissemination and coordination of nanomaterial information across relevant
program offices” and has established a corrective action plan with milestone
dates.