http://icon.rice.edu/ News Digest & Items of Interest en-us Sat, 25 May 2013 20:36:45 GMT http://icon.rice.edu/icon_rss.cfm Web Services icon@rice.edu webserv@rice.edu http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2992 Fri, 24 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT Nanomaterials end up in a wide range of consumer products such as cosmetics, clothing, and medications. And just like any other chemical or material used in such products, engineered nanomaterials fall under the jurisdiction of U.S. federal environmental, health, and safety guidelines. However, existing rules may be inadequate to regulate the new technologies, concludes a new study in Environmental Science & Technology. By slipping through these gaps in regulations, some nanomaterials may not receive appropriate risk assessments, the researchers say. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2992 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2991 Thu, 23 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT On May 9, 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated a significant new use rule (SNUR) for premanufacture notice (PMN) substance P-12-44, which is identified as “functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes.” http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2991 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2990 Wed, 22 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT The first annual conference on Governance of Emerging Technologies: Law, Policy and Ethics has just wrapped up in Arizona, Phoenix. In his keynote speech, Technology Innovation and the New Social Responsibility, Andrew Maynard, Director of the University of Michigan Risk Science Center called for a re-think of the relationship between technology innovation and societal needs. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2990 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2989 Tue, 21 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT IOM Singapore’s SAFENANO unit has prepared a Position Statement on Occupational Exposure to Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) and Nanofibres (CNFs), following the publication of NIOSH Current Intelligence Bulletin. The NIOSH guidance is considered to be important and timely, highlighting the need to make sure that CNTs and CNFs are not released into the working environment and the risks are effectively controlled. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2989 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2988 Mon, 20 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT NanoSustain, a €2.5 million NMP small collaborative project (2010-2013) funded by the European Union under FP7, has published a fact sheet and four case studies addressing several important nanotechnology EHS issues. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2988 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2986 Fri, 17 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT In its meeting on April 26, 2013, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a recommendation on "Nanotechnology: balancing benefits and risks to public health and the environment." This recommendation has been basen on an expert paper by Ilise L. Feitshans http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2986 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2987 Fri, 17 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT A team of researchers has identified a "passport" for nanoparticle therapeutic devices, enabling them to get past the body’s security system. This research was led by Dennis Discher of the University of Pennsylvania. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2987 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2985 Thu, 16 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT An interdisciplinary team of engineers at Stanford University announces it has developed a new type of nanoscavenger with a synthetic core that is ultraresponsive to magnetism, allowing the easy and efficient recovery of virtually every one of the nanoscale purifiers. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2985 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2982 Wed, 15 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT A class of water-loving, jelly-like materials with uses ranges ranging from the mundane, such as superabsorbent diaper liners, to the sophisticated, such as soft contact lenses, could be tapped for a new line of serious work: testing the biological effects of nanoparticles now being eyed for a large variety of uses. New research* by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) demonstrates that three-dimensional scaffolds made with cells and supporting materials known as hydrogels can serve as life-like measurement platforms for evaluating how tiny engineered materials interact with cells and tissues. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2982 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2983 Wed, 15 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT Friends of the Earth has renewed its calls for a ban on the use of nano-silver in consumer products, after a new a UNSW study has found that overexposure to silver nanoparticles can cause potentially harmful bacteria to rapidly adapt and flourish. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2983 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2984 Wed, 15 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT Presentations are available online from the ECHA webinar, held on 2nd May 2013, entitled "How to ensure the safe use of nanomaterials under REACH Part 2". http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2984 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2981 Tue, 14 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT NanoSight reports on how Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis, NTA, is being used at the University of Wyoming in the characterization of the physical and interfacial properties of manufactured nano materials. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2981 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2980 Mon, 13 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT The Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy recently announced that it has extended the deadline for declaring substances with nanoparticle status to June 30, 2013. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2980 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2979 Fri, 10 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT Nanotechnology is opening the way to a new industrial revolution. Exciting new futures await those businesses able to get ahead in the race to turn this wealth of promise into commercial success. But in a field which requires a high degree of coordinated effort involving many different stakeholder groups, including researchers, policymakers and commercial players across a wide variety of industrial sectors, it has perhaps been inevitable that fragmentation, disconnectedness and duplication have stood in the way. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2979 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2977 Thu, 09 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT Today, TNF-alpha is a prime example of how to safely and effectively deliver toxic substances to cancer cells through the use of nanotechnology. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2977 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2978 Thu, 09 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT The Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) and NanoQuébec are pleased to announce they will jointly fund three new research projects on worker exposure to engineered nanoparticles. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2978 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2976 Wed, 08 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT Although nanosilver has effective antimicrobial properties against certain pathogens, overexposure to silver nano-particles can cause other potentially harmful organisms to rapidly adapt and flourish, a UNSW study reveals. This result, published in the journal Small, could have wide-reaching implications for the future use of nanosilver as an antimicrobial agent with biomedical and environmental applications. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2976 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2971 Mon, 06 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT For the first time, researchers from institutions around the country have conducted an identical series of toxicology tests evaluating lung-related health impacts associated with widely used engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). The study provides comparable health risk data from multiple labs, which should help regulators develop policies to protect workers and consumers who come into contact with ENMs. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2971 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2972 Mon, 06 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT In the latest SAFENANO "In the Know" article, the SAFENANO team highlights the importance of Safety Data Sheets for nanomaterials, making reference to a number of recent critical evaluations and guidance documents. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2972 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2973 Mon, 06 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT Nanotechnology may be the future of paints and coatings, but federal health officials are recommending strict limits on worker exposures to some of those tiny particles. How strict? New exposure guidelines for carbon nanotubes and nanofibers set safe levels for workers at nearly zero. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2973 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2974 Mon, 06 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT A consortium of scientists from across the country has found that breathing ultrafine particles from a large family of materials that increasingly are found in a host of household and commercial products, from sunscreens to the ink in copy machines to super-strong but lightweight sporting equipment, can cause lung inflammation and damage. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2974 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2975 Mon, 06 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT RTI is expanding the utility of its Nanomaterial Registry by partnering with research organizations, universities, and industry in the nanomaterial research community to answer important questions on the connections between nanomaterial physical and chemical characteristics and nanomaterial benefits and risks. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2975 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2970 Fri, 03 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT On April 11-12, 2013, the Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment hosted an invitation-only conference entitled “Building Blocks for Completing EU Regulation of Nanomaterials.” The conference was intended to identify areas where current European Union (EU) legislation on nanomaterials is insufficient. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2970 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2969 Wed, 01 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT The final report for the life-cycle assessment (LCA) of current and emerging energy systems used in plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles conducted by the DfE/ORD Li-ion Batteries and Nanotechnology Partnership is now available. The study demonstrates how the life-cycle impacts of an emerging technology and novel application of nanomaterials (i.e., the SWCNT anode) can be assessed before the technology is mature, and provides a benchmark for future life-cycle assessments of this technology. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2969 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2963 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT Katharine Sanderson answers the big questions about the tiny technology on its way to your plate, including this question: "Is it safe?" http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2963 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2964 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT Nanomaterials are already part of our diet and the vast majority are naturally occurring. But should 'artificial' nanoparticles be added to our foodstuffs? http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2964 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2965 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT Using nanotechnology in food could potentially reduce wastage and improve people's health, or it could result in our diets coming under corporate control. So which argument is right? Two experts debate the pros and cons. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2965 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2966 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT With nanotechnology - the use of infinitesimally small materials - revolutionizing how products are made, the federal government has for the first time recommended limits for safe exposure for workers who handle objects much smaller than a human hair. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2966 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2967 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT The macroscopic effects of certain nanoparticles on human health have long been clear to the naked eye. What scientists have lacked is the ability to see the detailed movements of individual particles that give rise to those effects. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2967 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2968 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT In 2012, the Council of Europe (CoE) Parliamentary Assembly began the first steps towards nanotechnology regulation with a view to respecting the scientific precautionary principles. It commissioned an expert report, enthusiastically accepted at the CoE meeting of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development in November 2012. That same report is slated for public debate before the entire Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg France, April 26, 2013. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2968 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2958 Fri, 26 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT New Current Intelligence Bulletin issued by CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports the results of research in which various types of carbon nanotubes/carbon nanofibers can cause pulmonary fibrosis, inflammatory effects, and granulomas in laboratory animals exposed to them by inhalation. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2958 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2959 Fri, 26 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT Nanomaterials added to soil via fertilizers and treated sewage waste used to fertilize fields could threaten soil health necessary to keep land productive, says a new report released today by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP). Peer-reviewed scientific research also indicates possible negative impacts of nano-fertilizers on public health and the food supply. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2959 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2960 Fri, 26 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT The government has set exposure guidelines for nanotechnology fibers at just one microgram per cubic meter of air per eight-hour workday. Anything below that can't be measured. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2960 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2961 Fri, 26 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT On April 24, NIOSH recommended that occupational exposures to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) be controlled to reduce a potential risk of certain work-related lung effects. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2961 http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2962 Fri, 26 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT On April 24, 2013, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released Current Intelligence Bulletin 65: Occupational Exposure to Carbon Nanotubes and Nanofibers, which includes a proposed recommended exposure limit (REL) that is significantly lower than that in the 2010 draft. http://icon.rice.edu/details.cfm?NID=2962