Tag Archives: William Ryan

Special issue on nanotechnology and regulations from EJLT

The European Journal of Law and Technology (EJLT) is featuring 15 articles on the theme of nanotechnology and regulations in a special issue. From the Dec. 12, 2011 news item on Nanowerk,

The issue contains 15 contributions that canvass some of the most pressing philosophical, ethical and regulatory questions currently being debated around the world in relation to nanotechnologies and more specifically nanomaterials.

The EJLT is an open access journal so you can view these articles or any others that may interest you. Here’s the Table of Contents for the special issue,

Table of Contents

Editorial

Editorial
Philip Leith, Abdul Paliwala

Introduction to the Special Issue

Why the elephant in the room appears to be more than a nano-sized challenge
Joel D’Silva, Diana Meagan Bowman

Nano Technology Special Edition

Decision Ethics and Emergent Technologies: The Case of Nanotechnology
David Berube
Justice or Beneficence: What Regulatory Virtue for Nano-Governance?
Hailemichael Teshome Demissie
Regulating Nanoparticles: the Problem of Uncertainty
Roger Strand, Kamilla Lein Kjølberg
Complexities of labelling of nanoproducts on the consumer markets
Harald Throne-Holst, Arie Rip
Soft regulation and responsible nanotechnological development in the European Union: Regulating occupational health and safety in the Netherlands
Bärbel Dorbeck-Jung
Nanomaterials and the European Water Framework Directive
Steffen Foss Hansen, Anders Baun, Catherine Ganzleben
The Proposed Ban on Certain Nanomaterials for Electrical and Electronic Equipment in Europe and Its Global Security Implications: A Search for an Alternative Regulatory Approach
Hitoshi Nasu, Thomas Faunce
The Regulation of Nano-particles under the European Biocidal Products Directive: Challenges for Effective Civil Society Participation
Michael T Reinsborough, Gavin Sullivan
Value chains as a linking-pin framework for exploring governance and innovation in nano-involved sectors: illustrated for nanotechnologies and the food packaging sector
Douglas Robinson
Food and nano-food within the Chinese regulatory system: no need to have overregulation.Less physicality can produce more power.
Margherita Poto
Regulation and Governance of Nanotechnology in China: Regulatory Challenges and Effectiveness
Darryl Stuart Jarvis, Noah Richmond
How Resilient is India to Nanotechnology Risks? Examining Current Developments, Capacities and an Approach for Effective Risk Governance and Regulation
Shilpanjali Deshpande Sarma
Toward Safe and Sustainable Nanomaterials: Chemical Information Call-in to Manufacturers of Nanomaterials by California as a Case Study
William Ryan, Sho Takatori, Thomas Booze, Hai-Yong Kang
De minimis curat lex: New Zealand law and the challenge of the very small
Colin Gavaghan, Jennifer Moore

I notice that the last article was authored by the same people who produced a review of New Zealand’s nanotechnology regulatory framework in Sept. 2011. The Science Media Centre of New Zealand noted this in a Sept. 6, 2011 article about the review,

The “Review of the Adequacy of New Zealand’s Regulatory Systems to Manage the Possible Impacts of Manufactured Nanomaterials” by Colin Gavaghan (in Dunedin) and Jennifer Moore (in Wellington) lists three possible levels of regulatory gaps, but points to a lack of consensus on just what constitutes a “gap”.

The authors note where such nanomaterials are not covered by existing regulation, and where these regulations are triggered by the presence of the nanomaterials. They focus on first and second generation products and say that as nanomaterials evolve, more work will need to be done on regulation.

“Some reviews of this topic have suggested that subsequent generations of nanotechnologies are likely to present a much more significant challenge to existing regulatory structures,” the authors say.

The EJLT special issue looks like it has a pretty interesting range of articles representing nanotechnology and regulations in various jurisdictions. I’m thrilled to see a couple of articles on China, one on India, and, of course, the piece on New Zealand as I don’t often find material on those countries. Thank you EJLT!