Lindsay McCormick is a Project Manager. Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Lead Senior Scientist. On February 24th, President Trump signed Executive Order 13777, calling on all government agencies to recommend regulations for “potential repeal, replacement, or modification.” As of this writing, EPA has received 46,050 comments on its regulatory reform process. Interestingly, the overwhelming majority of these […]

The post Our health protections at risk: TSCA reform undone by “regulatory reform”? first appeared on EDF Health.

Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Lead Senior Scientist. Lindsay McCormick is a Project Manager.   Today, EPA issued its long-awaited rule to gather risk-relevant information on nanoscale materials. The new rule will finally allow EPA to obtain basic data on use, exposure, and hazards from those that manufacture or process these materials, which has long been recognized by […]

The post At last: EPA promulgates nanomaterial reporting rule first appeared on EDF Health.

Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Lead Senior Scientist. Ten years and counting.  That’s how long EPA has been trying to gather the most basic information on nanoscale materials in commerce.  And that’s how long the nanotech industry has been throwing up roadblocks – despite its rhetoric that it supports EPA’s effort, which it sees (in theory) […]

The post Why is the nanotech industry so intent on keeping EPA from doing its job? first appeared on EDF Health.

Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Lead Senior Scientist. Nearly 4 years ago, EPA sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a pair of draft proposed rules that would require reporting of certain information by makers of nanomaterials.  The proposed rules under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) seemed by all measures […]

The post A hint of movement in the Super Slo-Mo that is nanoregulation at EPA under TSCA first appeared on EDF Health.

Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist. As we enter a new year and legislative season, we face a changed political climate where the thought of new regulation is anything but de rigueur.  I will argue in this post that a little regulation would have done – and still could do – the world of […]

The post Regulating nanomaterials to life, not death first appeared on EDF Health.

Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist. Researchers at Virginia Tech have identified and characterized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in the sewage sludge produced by an operating municipal wastewater treatment plant.  The study is notable in several respects:  It is the first time AgNPs have been detected in a field-scale study, one of a real-world operation […]

The post Sludging through the nano lifecycle: Caution ahead first appeared on EDF Health.

Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist. I just read an interesting column by John DiLoreto, CEO of NanoReg, that appears online at Nanotechnology Now.  It’s titled “We Should Have Seen It Coming: States Regulating Nanotechnology.”  It nicely describes the important role states play in advancing environmental policy and regulation – especially when the feds […]

The post State-level nano regulation: Yes, indeed, the industry “should have seen it coming” – it caused it! first appeared on EDF Health.

Cal Baier-Anderson, Ph.D., is a Health Scientist. When it comes to chemical exposures, workers are on the front line.  Workers are usually the most likely to be exposed to harmful levels of chemicals, because they are the ones producing, processing, handling, sampling and measuring, transferring and transporting chemicals in larger and more concentrated quantities. Throughout […]

The post Study raises big questions about worker protection in nanotech labs first appeared on EDF Health.

Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist. In June, EPA published a Federal Register notice that included Significant New Use Rules (SNURs) for two carbon nanotubes (as well as 21 other chemicals).  That notice certainly got the attention of lawyers in town (see here, here and here).  The nanotube SNURs would require anyone planning to […]

The post The nanotube SNURs: Nano step forward, nano step back first appeared on EDF Health.

Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist. I hate to say it, but Friends of the Earth, Consumers Union, and the International Center for Technology Assessment (ICTA) have done a disservice to good science and policy with their new superficial report Manufactured Nanomaterials and Sunscreens: Top Reasons for Precaution. There are all kinds of legitimate safety […]

The post Superficial science in new nano sunscreen report first appeared on EDF Health.