Draft Nanotech Policy Framework for California Scheduled for Discussion and Comment

The University of California-San Francisco Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment has developed draft policy recommendations to address potential health risks from nanomaterials and nanotechnology. When finalized, the document will be presented to California EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) to better inform the agency’s risk assessment recommendations. The draft will be considered during a Science Advisory Panel meeting on May 5, 2010, and all public comments are due on that date.

Among the recommendations for OEHHA in the draft report are to (i) assess whether nanomaterials are already covered under the agency’s existing policy structure, (ii) determine if nanosized materials are more toxic than “their bulk material,” (iii) identify the extent of nanomaterial use in products, including food contact materials and foods, and (iv) “require labeling for nanomaterials that contain known carcinogens or reproductive effects.”