Nanotubes Deemed Different From Carbon

Summary posted by Meridian on 11/4/2008
Source: Chemical & Engineering News
Author: Britt E. Erickson

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has restated its position that carbon nanotubes are chemically distinct from graphite and other forms of carbon, reemphasizing that carbon nanotubes are considered new substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The article says that, under TSCA, carbon nanotube manufacturers and imports must submit toxicity data to the EPA before they can use or import carbon nanotubes for commercial purposes. According to the article, the EPA decided to clarify its position on carbon nanotubes, which it established in 2007, because it sensed “confusion among the nanotech industry .” Richard A. Denison of the U.S. nonprofit organization Environmental Defense Fund said that the EPA’s notice indicates that manufacturers are not currently complying with the law, saying, “I am dismayed by EPA's lax approach to enforcement of what is a basic violation of federal law.” Andrew D. Maynard of the U.S. nonprofit Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies further said that the EPA currently does not address nanoscale materials other than carbon nanotubes despite studies indicating that some of those materials may be toxic. The article says that the EPA’s position on carbon nanotubes is consistent with that of the European Union’s Registration, Evaluation & Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) program. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

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our team contact us site map	Nanotubes Deemed Different From Carbon Summary posted by Meridian on 11/4/2008 Source: Chemical & Engineering News Author: Britt E. Erickson The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has restated its position that carbon nanotubes are chemically distinct from graphite and other forms of carbon, reemphasizing that carbon nanotubes are considered new substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The article says that, under TSCA, carbon nanotube manufacturers and imports must submit toxicity data to the EPA before they can use or import carbon nanotubes for commercial purposes. According to the article, the EPA decided to clarify its position on carbon nanotubes, which it established in 2007, because it sensed “confusion among the nanotech industry .” Richard A. Denison of the U.S. nonprofit organization Environmental Defense Fund said that the EPA’s notice indicates that manufacturers are not currently complying with the law, saying, “I am dismayed by EPA's lax approach to enforcement of what is a basic violation of federal law.” Andrew D. Maynard of the U.S. nonprofit Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies further said that the EPA currently does not address nanoscale materials other than carbon nanotubes despite studies indicating that some of those materials may be toxic. The article says that the EPA’s position on carbon nanotubes is consistent with that of the European Union’s Registration, Evaluation & Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) program. The article can be viewed online at the link below. The original article may still be available at pubs.acs.org/cen/news/86/i45/8645notw6.html As tagged by Meridian Institute: Implications: Governance Nanomaterials: Carbon Nanoparticle Regions: North America Stakeholders: Government, Industry Related Forums: Governance print format	NDN Home Subscribe Manage Subscription Search News Archives Understanding Public Debate on Nanotechnologies: Options for Framing Public Policy -- The Innovation Society (2/8/2010) The Governance and Ethics Unit of the Directorate General for Research (DG Research) of the European Commission (EC) has published an overview paper on options for framing public policy on nanotechnologies. [More] UN Patent Filings Dropped for 1st Time Since 1978 -- ABC news (2/8/2010) The United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), an entity through which a company can, for a fee, file a request for patent protection in any or all of the 142 countries that have subscribed to the U.N.'s Patent Cooperation Treaty, reported that the number of international patent filings dropped last year for the first time since 1978. [More] TECHNOLOGY: Science Panel Probes Renewable Energy's Current Use of China's Rare Metals -- Environment & Energy Daily (2/8/2010) A United States House of Representatives Science and Technology subcommittee this week will hold a hearing on rare earth mineral production and the resource's role in the growing clean energy industry. [More] Nanofood for Thought -- Nature Nanotechnology (2/5/2010) This editorial, in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, is in response to the recent report, "Nanotechnologies and Food", released in January by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, United Kingdom, that criticized the food industry for failing to be transparent about its research into the uses of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials. [More] More News... Learn how to include these headlines on your own website by clicking here. Please email us if you require text-only versions of the daily emails.