A challenge-facing hazard identification and safety evaluation of engineered nanomaterials being introduced to market is the diversity and complexity of the types of materials with varying physicochemical properties, many of which can affect their toxicity by different mechanisms. Read more

According to the report published by BCC Research, the market value of the worldwide nanomedicine industry was $63.8 billion and $72.8 billion in 2010 and 2011, respectively. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 12.5% to reach $130.9 billion by the fiscal year 2016. Read more

Food Navigator reports that UK experts are demanding public debate and regulation of nanomaterials in foods.  Without that, they warn, nanotechnology risks “facing the same fate as genetically modified (GM) foods in consumer perceptions.” Read more

Workers with existing allergic conditions have worse reactions when exposed to nanoparticles in the workplace, suggest Chinese scientists. They believe that the response is caused by a Trojan horse known as an exosome, which is present in all of us. Read more

Source: The Bureau of National Affairs Daily Environment Report (15 Dec 2011) Author(s): Pat Rizzuto. Read more

Nanotechnology is an emerging science that offers many new opportunities for the food industry, but food manufacturers should be aware that there are some potential risks with this new technology. Food Manufacturing spoke with Amy Galland of As You Sow about nanotechnology and what processors should consider before implementing this new science into their processes. Read more

SAN FRANCISCO - December 21 - Concerned by the growing body of scientific reports cautioning against the unregulated use of nanotechnology in consumer products, a coalition of nonprofit consumer safety and environmental groups sued the Food and Drug Administration today. The case is the first lawsuit over the health and environmental risks of nanotechnology and nanomaterials. Read more

A coalition of consumer advocacy groups filed suit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Wednesday, the latest move in a long effort to force the agency to regulate sunscreens, cosmetics and other products containing super-small particles. Read more

The purpose of the OECD Series on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials is to provide up-to-date information on the diverse activities at OECD related to human health and environmental safety. Read more

Much of the past decade has been spent worrying about the potential toxicity of nanomaterials. We have had numerous government-funded projects, scores of publications by environmental groups, intense lobbying demanding the labelling of nanomaterials, and even a law suit. But while the developed world agonises over the use of nanomaterials, much of the rest of the world is simply getting on with using them. Read more

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is charged by Congress to protect the nation’s natural resources. Under the mandate of national environmental laws, the EPA strives to formulate and implement actions leading to a compatible balance between human activities and the ability of natural systems to support and nurture life. To meet this mandate, the EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) provides data and scientific support that can be used to solve environmental problems, build the scientific knowledge base needed to manage ecological resources wisely, understand how pollutants affect public health, and prevent or reduce environmental risks. Read more

Nanofilm’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Scott Rickert has discussed about six nanotechnology topics to be looked at in the fiscal year 2012 and their impact on the US economy in his nanotechnology column in Industry Week. Read more

Intertek Cantox, a company offering regulatory and scientific consulting services, has developed a novel method called the Nano Study Score method to support superior-quality nanotoxicology studies in order to assess the safety of nanomaterial- and nanotechnology-based products. Read more

Concerned by the growing body of scientific reports cautioning against the unregulated use of nanotechnology in consumer products, a coalition of nonprofit consumer safety and environmental groups sued the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today. The case is the first lawsuit over the health and environmental risks of nanotechnology and nanomaterials. Read more

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued the world’s first reference material for single-wall carbon nanotube soot. Distantly related to the soot in your fireplace or in a candle flame, nanotube-laden soot is the primary industrial source of single-wall carbon nanotubes, perhaps the archetype of all nanoscale materials. The new NIST material offers companies and researchers a badly needed source of uniform and well-characterized carbon nanotube soot for material comparisons, as well as chemical and toxicity analysis. Read more

In the past decade numerous projects on the risks associated with nanomaterials have been initiated and carried out. In general, they dealt with the subject of how nanomaterials could be used without representing a danger to the environment and human health. However a lack of specialists is preventing further urgently needed studies in the field of nano(eco)toxicology from being undertaken. Read more

More than a year after floating the idea, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted the first approval for a pesticide that’s based on a nanoscale material—a Swiss-made antimicrobial nanosilver product used in fabrics. Read more

The European Journal of Law and Technology (EJLT) is a REFEREED open access journal focusing on issues of law and technology in a European context. Read more

The rapid emergence and adoption of nanotechnology has provided an opportunity to examine the formation of public opinion on the risks and benefits of a largely unregulated, new and unique technology. Read more

A first-of-its-kind framework released on December 6th offers recommendations to food and food packaging companies on how to identify and evaluate nanomaterials in products.  Not only is this technology unregulated and untested for its implications on public health, but companies may not even be aware if they are using products made with nanomaterials. Read more