Tag: nanotechnology
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As You Sow Crowdfunds to Finance Nano-Ingredient Testing
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…
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Researchers Examine Soybean Uptake of Nanoparticles from Soil
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…
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New Report Raises Questions About Safety of Nanomaterials in Food and Food Packaging
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…
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Danish Councils Establish Database to Identify Products Containing Nanomaterials
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,…
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Australian Agency Calls for Nanotubes to Be Classified as Hazardous
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…
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EC Confirms That REACH Provides Best Framework for Nanomaterial Risk Management
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.”…
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GAO Calls for Improved Performance Information of Nanotechnology Research
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report highlighting the need for improved performance information and cost analysis for environmental, health and safety (EHS) research as they relate to nanotechnology. As part of its analysis, GAO reviewed nanotechnology research conducted in 2010 by seven National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) member agencies, including the Food…
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Advocacy Coalition Agrees to Drop Nanotechnology Lawsuit Against FDA
A coalition of advocacy organizations has reportedly agreed to dismiss as moot its lawsuit seeking an order requiring the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to respond to its 2006 petition asking the agency to regulate products containing nanomaterials. Information about the lawsuit appears in Issue 422 of this Update. The organizations, including Food and Water…