Tag Archives: A changing regulatory landscape and language for the nanoscale

Nanomaterials are now nanoforms?

There’s a proposal/recommendation/call to start calling nanomaterials ‘nanoforms’ according to an April 20, 2021 article (you can also find it here on JDSupra) by Lynn Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton in April 27, 2021 (Volume XI, Number 117) issue of the National Law Review,

The Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA) has published a March 2021 position paper, A changing regulatory landscape and language for the nanoscale, that examines the transition from “nanomaterial” to “nanoforms” to reflect better the differences in nanomaterial properties both in relation to bulk counterparts and to nanoforms of the same substance.  In the paper, NIA describes a transition phase where the language of nanoforms is used more widely and examples of nanoform sets can be increasingly demonstrated in the public domain, while there is still a “significant” learning curve for both industry and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).  NIA recommends that all stakeholders reassess the language they use where relevant, “particularly when discussing hazard, and where non-specific terminology may be misleading and result in confusion and mistrust in the safety of substances at the nanoscale.” …

I haven’t noticed the use of nanoforms yet but, going forward, I will be alert to the change in terminology.