EU - EU Commission launches a public consultation on nanotechnology and potential risks emerging from the use of nanomaterials in the future – Deadline: 19 June 2009 23.04.2009
Nanotechnologies are expected to bring benefits to many areas. They are enabling technologies which will interact with and reinforce the potential of other technologies like information and communication technologies and biotechnology, with a wide range of potential applications. At the nano scale, matter shows different properties, making it difficult to predict potential adverse impact on health and the environment. As a result, the European Commission has developed a policy for their safe, integrated and responsible development.
To that end, the Commission is continuously monitoring the developments in nanotechnologies and is using the independent EU Scientific Committees to contribute to the assessment of health and environmental risks that they may pose. In this context, the recent opinion on the Risk Assessment of Nanomaterials by the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) timely contributes to current discussions on nanomaterials in the EU legislative proposals relating to novel foods and cosmetics as well as for the implementation of existing legislation such as REACH.
