European Commission to fund more safety checks on nanotechnology

Published: 7-Jul-2008

Pharmaceutical manufacturers using nanotechnologies will be included in public consultation launched by the European Commission, seeking to ensure that they are abiding by EU health and safety legislation.


Pharmaceutical manufacturers using nanotechnologies will be included in public consultation launched by the European Commission, seeking to ensure that they are abiding by EU health and safety legislation.

The authorities fear that because nanoparticles behave in unusual ways, such as being absorbed into the body more readily than regular-sized particles, EU laws designed to protect human health and the environment could be breached by nanotechnology users.

In a policy paper, the Commission promised to "engage in an open dialogue..to accompany the correct application of existing legislation to the new products arriving on the market". The paper also commits Brussels to spending more on nanotechnology safety research.

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