EC Committee Defines “Nanomaterial”

The European Commission’s (EC’s) Scientific Committee on Emerging and
Newly Identified Health Risks has approved a definition for “nanomaterial”
as a basis for future regulatory safety evaluations and risk assessments. The
committee concluded that size is the most relevant consideration in defining
the term, and that no scientific justification exists to prefer any specific
size limit other than the range from 1 to 100 nanometers. According to the
committee, “size influences bio-distribution (and distribution kinetics) in an
organism or in an ecosystem which should be taken into consideration in the
risk assessment of nanomaterials.” The committee decided not to distinguish
between natural and manufactured nanomaterials in its definition.