The head for this post is meant to inform you that French language reading skills will be needed if you want to read the materials for the press kit about toxicity and nanomaterials that ANSES (France Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail; French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety; Comment: it seems perfect from a cultural perspective that the French would put food first in this list of agency responsibilities) released on May 15, 2014 as per the news item on Nanowerk (Note: A link has been removed),
Confronted with the wide range of nanomaterials in everyday life and the many questions surrounding them, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) published a review (pdf; in French; [the review is a press kit or dossier de presse]) of the available literature on health and environmental issues relating to manufactured nanomaterials. This will help clarify scientific understanding and demonstrate the toxic effects of some nanomaterials on living organisms and the environment. It also emphasises the complexity of understanding the various situations to which humans and the environment are exposed, and the limitations of existing risk assessment methodologies. Due to this complexity, it is difficult to assess the specific risks associated with nanomaterials. Given the time it would require, the Agency recommendsthe immediate implementation of tools to improve risk management through a stronger regulatory framework at European level.
The English language version of the ANSES May 15, 2014 news release, which originated the news item, provides some historical perspective on nanomaterials while describing how the review (press kit) supports the agency’s recommendations for the future,
Some “older” nanomaterials have been around for almost a century and certain nanoparticles can also be produced naturally. It was not however until the late 1990s that technological developments emerged that led to a wide diversification of industrial applications. Nanomaterials are now found in many everyday products: cosmetics, textiles, food, paints, medical applications, etc. This technological deployment has been accompanied by studies on their potential health impact, yet many doubts remain as to their effects on health and the environment. This uncertainty has led to questions about the degree to which these risks are controlled, and the appropriate regulatory framework.
…
Drawing on a review of all available data and scientific publications around the world, the report documents the effects identified on living organisms. Based on in vitro and in vivo animal tests, it first demonstrates the ability of nanomaterials to cross physiological barriers, and highlights the toxicity of certain nanomaterials, noting that there are currently no data directly concerning humans, due to the lack of epidemiological studies.
…
Regarding research, the Agency recommends implementing multidisciplinary projects to develop knowledge of the characteristics and hazards of nanomaterials, throughout the product life cycle. This mainly involves promoting the development of appropriate safety tests for assessing the health risks of products containing nanomaterials intended to be placed on the market.
In addition, ANSES is calling immediately for a strengthened regulatory framework for manufactured nanomaterials at the European level, in order to better characterise each substance and its uses, taking into account the entire product life cycle.
I haven’t had the time to read the report and may not in the future but I did look for a bibliography, which I did not find, hoping to discover what they meant when they said nanomaterials have been present for a century. Depending on how one views these things, one could say that nanomaterials have always been present on planet earth.
As for the timing of this announcement, one has to notice that it comes on the heels of an announcement from the European Union of a ‘public consultation on measures to increase transparency on nanomaterials on the market’ (see my earlier May 16, 2014 post*).
* Date corrected from May 15 to May 16 at 9:50 am PDT on May 16, 2014.