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Battle Brewing in Europe over Nanotech Regulation
13/02/2009
Concerns over the health and environmental risks of nanotechnology are generating renewed pressures for tougher regulation in the European Union. The European Parliament currently is drafting a report on regulatory aspects of nanomaterials, and its tone indicates strong suspicion.
"The use of nanomaterials and nanotechnologies promises multiple benefits in innumerable applications for consumers, patients and the environment," said the draft report currently under discussion in the Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. However, the draft goes on to say, "nanomaterials on the other hand potentially present significant new risks." As the draft remarked, "the current discussion about nanomaterials is characterised by many contradictions or even paradoxes, with disagreement and thus political struggles."
As an example, the draft cited divergent views over the extent of current use. While inventories compiled by respected institutions listed more than 800 manufacturer-identified nanotechnology-based consumer products currently on the market, it said "trade associations of the same manufacturers question these figures, on the basis that they are overestimations, without providing any concrete figures themselves."
And "while companies happily use 'nano-claims', as the term 'nano' seems to have a positive marketing effect, they are strictly opposed to objective labeling requirements."
The debate is the latest in a long series of EU reflections on the subject, following a communication in 2005 "Towards a European strategy for nanotechnology," 2006 communication "Nanoscience and nanotechnologies: An action plan for Europe 2005-2009," and opinions from the scientific committee on emerging and newly identified health risks on risk assessment of nanomaterials and from the scientific committee on consumer products on the safety of nanomaterials in cosmetics.
According to Euro-MP Carl Schlyter, who is piloting the discussion, "Nanotechnology entails new toxicological risks, which are vaguely defined and difficult to test, a field in which our knowledge about immune defense response - if it is able to react at all in any given situation - is poor."
"EU scientific committees point to major deficiencies not only in key data, but even in methods of obtaining such data. But many representatives of industry claim that all relevant data are available and that there are no methodological deficiencies," Schlyter continued.
Schlyter contended that a recent document from EU officials on the regulatory aspects of nanomaterials "is seriously undermined by the complete absence of any information about the specific properties of nanomaterials, their actual uses and potential risks and benefits."
He also is cautious about patents and deeply concerned about the links with biotechnology. "A broad application of patents to nanomaterials could stifle further innovation," he said, and "the likely convergence of nanotechnology with biotechnology and information technology raises serious ethical questions."
Schlyter urged that ethical guidelines "need to be developed in due time to ensure full respect for ethical values in possible future use of nanotechnology converging with biomedical applications."
Source: Adapted from an article by Peter O’Donnell, Bioworld Today
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