Tag: nanotechnology
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GAO Report Criticizes FDA for Lax Oversight of GRAS Foods
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report criticizing the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) oversight of food ingredients determined to be generally recognized as safe (GRAS). Noting that companies are not required to submit their GRAS determinations to regulators, GAO examined whether FDA can vouch for these substances, which increasingly include nanomaterials.…
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EC Report Provides Overview of Projects Tracking Public Debate on Nanotechnology
The European Commission has released a report, “Understanding Public Debate on Nanotechnologies: Options for Framing Public Policy,” that discusses several commission projects designed to assess “the nature of public debate on nanosciences and nanotechnologies, and the ways in which deliberative approaches could lead to better governance of these technologies.” The overview includes summaries of the…
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EPA Proposes Significant New Use Rule Under TSCA for Carbon Nanotubes
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a proposed rule that “would require persons who intend to manufacture, import, or process [multi-walled carbon nanotubes] for an activity that is designated as a significant new use by this proposed rule to notify EPA at least 90 days before commencing that activity.” The activities identified in the proposed…
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California DTSC May Take Action Under Carbon Nanotube Information Call-In Program
California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) has been gathering information from companies that produce or import carbon nanotubes in the state and has posted the information received by its January 22, 2010, deadline on the agency’s website. The agency has also indicated which companies did not submit the information requested; a news source reports…
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U.S. Congress Turns Attention to Nanotechnology Issues
Legislation recently introduced in the House and Senate would take different approaches to the continuing development and use of nanotechnology. Senators Mark Pryor (D-Ariz.) and Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.) have co-sponsored a bill (S. 2942), the “Nanotechnology Safety Act of 2010,” that would establish a program within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate nanoscale…
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UK Nanotechnology Report Critical of Food Industry
In a development that could have a significant impact on the global food industry, the U.K.’s House of Lords has completed an inquiry into the use of nanotechnology in foods, food packaging and food contact materials. In a January 8, 2010, press release and comprehensive report accompanied by a separate volume of evidence, the Lords’ Science…
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Researchers Develop Nanoparticle to Slow Oxidation, Extend Shelf Life
Purdue University scientists have reportedly altered a nanoparticle found in sweet corn to prevent oxidation and spoilage, thus offering a way to extend the shelf life of foods, cosmetics and other products containing emulsified lipids. Siqi L Scheffler, et al., “Phytoglycogen Octenyl Succinate, an Amphiphilic Carbohydrate Nanoparticle, and ε-Polylysine To Improve Lipid Oxidative Stability of Emulsions,”…
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Public Health Activists Urge SEC to Increase Corporate Disclosures of Emerging Risks
The Investor Environmental Health Network (IEHN) has requested that the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) include in its 2010 2015 strategic plan the development of guidance for public companies requiring narrative disclosures in their annual financial reports about emerging risks such as nanotechnology. Attached to the IEHN November 15, 2009, letter is a report titled…