Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
—.its.full.life.from.initial.sourcing.through.manufacture,.use,.disposal.or.recycling,.
and.ultimate.fate.”
ED. and. DuPont. began. their. collaborative. effort. to. develop. the.
Framework
. in.
September.2005..They.released.a.draft.version.to.the.public.on.February.26,.2007,.
and. received. comments. from. a. diverse. array. of. stakeholders. —. government,. aca-
demia,. public. interest. groups,. and. both. large. and. small. companies.. In. addition. to.
considering.the.various.comments,.ED.and.DuPont.conducted.pilot-testing.on.sur-
face-treated.high-rutile.phase.titanium.dioxide.(TiO
2
),.single-.and.multi-walled.car-
bon.nanotubes.(CNTs),.and.nano-sized.zero-valent.iron.(nano-Fe
0
).“to.ensure.that.
[the.
Framework
]. is. lexible,. practical,. affordable,. and. effective.”. The. inal. docu-
ment.issued.“offers.guidance.on.the.key.questions.an.organization.should.consider.
in.developing.applications.of.nanomaterials,.and.on.the.information.needed.to.make.
sound.risk.evaluations.and.risk-management.decisions.”.The.
Framework
.is.intended.
to.support.ongoing.regulatory.initiatives.—.not.replace.them.
ED.and.DuPont.believe.that.the.
Framework
,.which.is.aimed.primarily.at.orga-
nizations,.both.private.and.public,.that.are.actively.working.with.nanomaterials.and.
developing.associated.products.and.applications,.will.help.users.organize.and.evalu-
ate.currently.available.information;.assess,.prioritize,.and.address.data.needs;.and.
communicate. clearly. how. risks. are. being. mitigated.. Ultimately,. ED. and. DuPont.
“believe.that.the.adoption.of.the.
Framework
can.promote.responsible.development.of.
nanotechnology.products,.facilitate.public.acceptance,.and.support.the.formulation.
of.a.practical.model. for.reasonable.government. policy. on. nanotechnology.safety.”.
Further.information.on.the.Framework.is.available.in.Chapter.11,.
infra.
. inteRnational deVeloPMents
Globally,. there. is. much. activity. regarding. the. regulation. of. nanotechnology.. It. is.
not.the.intent.of.this.section.to.address.these.initiatives.in.detail..Rather,.the.intent.
is.to.identify.a.few.of.the.more.prominent.developments.of.which.readers.should.be.
aware.
4.12.1
r
egistratiOn
, e
valuatiOn
, a
uthOriZatiOn
,
and
r
estriCtiOn
OF
C
hemiCals
(reaCh)
In. the. European. Union. (EU),. the. enactment. in. June. 2007. of. the. Registration,.
Evaluation,. Authorization,. and. Restriction. of. Chemicals. (REACH). began. what.
will.eventually.result.in.the.most.sweeping.change.in.chemical.management.policy.
ever..REACH.is.the.EU's.complex.new.chemical.management.regulation.
.While.
no.REACH.provision.explicitly.cites.nanoscale.material,.it.is.widely.believed.that.
REACH.includes.nanoscale.materials..REACH.is.complicated..In.total,.it.encom-
passes. more. than. 140. different. articles,. 17. distinct. annexes,. almost. 300. pages. of.
.A. complete. copy. of. the.
Framework
. and. other. related. information. are. available. at. http://nanorisk-
framework.com/page.cfm?tagID=1095.
.REACH.is.available.at.http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2007/l_136/l_.13620070529en.
00030280.pdf..The.regulation.entered.into.force.on.June.1,.2007,.although.most.of.its.key.provisions.
will.not.apply.until.June.1,.2008..See.REACH.Art..141.
