A regulatory framework for nanomaterials?
Today after having participated in a workshop along with all the other stakeholders, top level representatives from Member States’ regulatory bodies met in Brussels. The Belgian Presidency had invited them to examine a series of proposals whose aim is to guarantee hazard-free development of nanomaterials.
Nanomaterials can be found in consumer products such as clothes, car tyres, tennis rackets or some household appliances (hair-straighteners for instance) might contain nanomaterials. Thus a lot of consumer products that are currently available on the market may contain nanomaterials, whilst, from the scientific point of view, several doubts still persist, in particular, regarding relevant standards, test methods, metrology, chemical names, toxicology and ecotoxicology.
The Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union took the initiative of organizing a top level meeting on September 14, bringing together representatives of various associations (consumers, environmental protection, unions, professional federations from the industry) as well as national and European regulatory bodies, in order to take stock of the situation.
This event was connected to a meeting of top level representatives of regulatory bodies from twelve Member States, Norway and observers from the European Commission. These representatives, mostly from national bodies for environment, health or chemical products or nanomaterials, were invited by the Presidency to examine a series of proposals whose aim is to guarantee hazard-free development of nanomaterials by establishing an operational framework for dealing with incidents in the short term and for improved risk management in the long term.
This event and this meeting made it possible to obtain a large agreement on the need to take specific extra measures in addition to the existing general legislation relating to nanomaterials, especially for everything concerning the need for information, data, transparency and traceability. The Presidency was able to collect a wide variety of opinions about the responses that may have to be given and about the way they have to be executed.
As far as certain stakeholders are concerned and as the Presidency has brought to light:
- The current legislation does not provide sufficient information to offer a response in case of an incident and to guarantee nanomaterials risk management.
- Due to persistent doubts, it is not presently possible to guarantee sufficient protection of public health and environment.
- There is a considerable dearth of information all along the supply chain, whereas it is absolutely essential to have this information for traceability reasons.
Just like the Presidency, certain stakeholders are of the opinion that the proposed time scale for making improvements to the current legislation is unacceptable. Transient measures are therefore required. Others think that the existing legislation just needs to be adapted. Eventually, and based on the proposal put forward by the Presidency, a certain number of stakeholders believes that a harmonised register of nanomaterials constitutes an effective and immediate response, since such a tool could enable the traceability of nanomaterials and could in this way facilitate the access to a better management of incidents and risks.
The establishment of a structural connection that ensures balanced funding between innovation and research in matters of nanomaterials’ safety has also been discussed.
The possibility to include concerns relating to nanomaterials as a priority in the second “European Action Plan for Environment and Health” of the European Commission as part of the framework of the environment-health strategy 2003 was also examined.
