EU report frames legal definitions for nanotechnology
Scientific committee specifies how nanomaterials can be identified
The special properties of nanomaterials are a step closer to becoming controlled through a comprehensive European Union (EU) regulation, having been defined by the EU’s scientific committee on emerging and newly identified health risks.
The scientific committee has released an extensive report that specifies how nanomaterials can be identified not just through their tiny scale, but also by how they appear and behave within consumer products, including pharmaceuticals. This includes the tendency of nanoparticles to form crystals; their attraction or loss of electrons; their photocatalytic activity; surface electrical charges; water solubility; and other properties.
The report also says how different nanoparticles can be assessed as nanocomposites and classified according to whether a base particle reduced to nanoscale is natural or artificial.
‘With the expected increase in the applications of nanotechnology, there is an urgent need to identify by clear unequivocal descriptions what can be considered as a nanomaterial and what should not be,’ the report said.
One key issue is the increase of surface area of a substance caused by its division into nanoparticles, which can increase its impact on living tissue, maybe causing an increase in biological activity or toxicity.
‘It is this uncertainty that warrants the careful evaluation of possible risks associated with nanotechnology products,’ the report said.