The European Commission (EC) has issued a draft rule amending Regulation 1169/2011—a food information and labeling rule adopted in 2011—with regard to use of the term “nano” to describe food additives. The amended rule requires adherence to the definition of “engineered nanomaterial” provided in Recommendation 2011/696/EU, because this rule “reflects the technical and scientific progress to date.” The revised rule further states that the definition of a nanomaterial should be “linked” to the International Organization for Standardization’s definition that an engineered nanomaterial is “a nanomaterial designed for a specific purpose or function.” According to the revised regulation, some food additives, which had been registered as “nano,” may no longer be categorized as such. Noting that it would be “unsuitable” and confusing for certain food additives to be preceded by the word “nano,” the revision states that “food additives included in the [Union lists] should not be mandatorily qualified as ‘nano’ in the…
Tag Archives nanotechnology
The European Commission (EC) has announced a public consultation on the Nanomaterial Annexes to the regulations governing the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical (REACH) substances. As recommended in the General Review of REACH published in February 2013, the consultation will contribute to the Commission’s “impact assessment of relevant regulatory options, in particular possible amendments of REACH Annexes, to ensure further clarity on how nanomaterials are addressed and safety regulations demonstrated in registration dossiers.” To this end, the EC has asked “informed experts user[s]” to complete a questionnaire about the technical provisions of the REACH Annexes, including whether the current definition of nanomaterials has changed the way companies account for nanomaterials in their portfolio or conduct safety assessments. The survey also seeks input on five proposals being considered by the Commission as it looks to update REACH’s registration requirements by the end of 2013. These proposals include (i) altering…
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has released a summary of survey results pertaining to the regulatory framework in 12 countries that provide oversight of nanotechnology in food and medical products. Conducted in 2011-2012, the survey addressed (i) “the regulatory frameworks being used to provide oversight for the use of nanotechnology in the relevant field,” (ii) “the legislative frameworks relevant to these regulatory frameworks,” and (iii) “relevant government supported research programmes and institutions.” OECD has concluded that food ingredients, additives, colorings, and contact substances “that may contain nanomaterials or otherwise involve the application of nanotechnology are covered under existing national and/or regional legislative and regulatory frameworks that are relevant and applicable to foods.” See OECD News Release, May 28, 2013.
In a Nature Nanotechnology commentary titled “The insurability of nanomaterial product risk,” business and scientific researchers funded by the European Commission (EC) propose a framework for the insurance industry to assess risks for purposes of issuing policies that will ensure the “commercial viability and long-term sustainability” of the nanotechnology industry. Noting that Lloyd’s of London and large insurers are “paying close attention to developments in the area of nanomaterials,” the authors suggest that uncertainty about nanotech risks has led insurance companies to carry this risk on their books, because they have failed to explicitly cover nanotechnology risks in their policies. They recommend that control banding, which rates risks according to exposure and toxicity levels, could provide the means to harness the uncertainties and allow policies to explicitly include nanomaterials. The commentary concludes, “In the absence of effective regulatory controls and a lack of legal clarity, control banding will allow nanoparticle…
Advocacy organization As You Sow, which recently issued a report on nanomaterials in food, is continuing to test products for nano-scale ingredients and has conducted a crowdfunding campaign to finance the initiative. Further details about the report appear in Issue 470 of this Update. The organization apparently succeeded in raising the $6,000 needed to test Betty Crocker Whipped Frosting®, which purportedly contains the same coloring additive found in Dunkin’ Donuts, a product highlighted in the report.
A recent study has purportedly found that soybean plants can uptake widely used industrial nanoparticles (NPs) from the soil, raising concerns about potential effects on the food chain and the next generation of crops. Jose Hernandez-Viezcas, et al., “In Situ Synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence Mapping and Speciation of CeO2 and ZnO Nanoparticles in Soil Cultivated Soybean (Glycine max),” ACS Nano, February 2013. Researchers apparently used microscopic synchrotron X-ray beams on soybean plants grown in soil contaminated with zinc oxide (ZnO) and cerium dioxide (CeO2) NPs to trace “the potential storage of these NPs or their biotransformed products in edible/reproductive organs of crop plants.” Although x-ray absorption spectroscopy studies evidently did not find intact ZnO NPs within the plant tissues, micro-X-ray absorption near end structure (µ-XANES) data did identify “O-bound Zn, in a form resembling Zn-citrate, which could be an important Zn complex in soybean grains.” The µ-XANES data also reportedly showed…
Advocacy organization As You Sow has issued a report titled “Slipping Through the Cracks: An Issue Brief on Nanomaterials in Food” to “inform companies, investors, and consumers about the emerging use of engineered nanomaterials in food and food related products, and to highlight the potential unknown risks of this technology.” The organization describes how it sought information from major food and food packaging companies about nanomaterials in their products, and of those few responding, most either do not know whether nanomaterials are in their supply chain or were not apparently concerned about the issue. Comprehensive survey results are included in the report. As You Sow also tested a few products and purportedly found nano-sized titanium dioxide in the powered sugar used on a Dunkin’ Donut product. The organization is soliciting contributions to allow it to test other products, such as Trident gum and Pop-Tarts. The report suggests that while initial…
The Danish Consumer Council and Danish Ecological Council, in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark, have reportedly developed a database intended to help consumers identify products that may contain nanomaterials. The database evidently includes a description of each nanotechnology involved; rates of purported exposure risks to professional end-users, consumers and the environment; and potential hazards to human health and the environment by means of color coding. Food packaging materials are said to have incorporated nanoparticles to prolong shelf life and control microbial agents in packaged foods. Danish Ecological Council chemical expert Lone Mikkelsen reportedly said, “We are concerned that . . . too many nanomaterials are introduced to the market, before we know the full effects on humans and the environment.” Consumers will apparently be able to search the database to see if a certain product contains nanomaterials or is marketed as a…
Safe Work Australia, a government agency lacking regulatory authority, has recommended that multi-walled and single-walled carbon nanotubes be classified as hazardous unless they can be shown, on a case-by-case basis with toxicological or other data, to merit a different classification. The agency recently released a report titled “Human Health Hazard Assessment and Classification of Carbon Nanotubes,” which concludes that the recommended classification is supported by the available evidence. Specifically, Safe Work Australia, seeks the classification “Harmful: Danger of serious damage to health by prolonged exposure through inhalation.”
The European Commission (EC) has concluded, in its second regulatory review on nanomaterials, that, while certain challenges continue to face those trying to assess their potential risks, the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical Substances (REACH) “sets the best possible framework for the risk management of nanomaterials when they occur as substances or mixtures.” Still, the EC acknowledges that “more specific requirements for nanomaterials within the framework have proven necessary,” and thus it “envisages modification in some of the REACH Annexes and encourages ECHA [European Chemicals Agency] to further develop guidance for registrations after 2013.” REACH took effect in June 2007. Viewed as the strictest law regulating chemical substances to date, it requires all chemicals imported or produced in the European Union (EU) over a certain quantity to be registered and the manufacturers and importers to gather and report information about the chemicals’ properties. The law’s provisions will be…
