Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
4.12.2 t
he
O
rganiZatiOn
FOr
e
COnOmiC
C
OOperatiOn
and
d
evelOpment
(OeCd) i
nitiatives
Another. very. important. international. initiative. includes. those. activities. sponsored.
by. the. Organization. for. Economic. Cooperation. and. Development. (OECD).. The.
OECD.is.an.intergovernmental.organization.in.which.representatives.from.30.indus-
trialized. countries. in. North. America,. Europe,. Asia,. and. Paciic. regions,. and. the.
European.Commission.coordinate.and.harmonize.polices,.discuss.issues.of.shared.
concern,. and. work.together. to.address. international.problems.. Two.OECD.groups.
are.especially.pertinent.to.nanotechnology..In.2006,.the.OECD.Council.established.
the.Working.Party.on.Manufactured.Nanomaterials.(WPMN).as.a.subsidiary.of.the.
Chemicals.Committee..The.WPMN.is.working.on.a.series.of.six.speciic.projects.
involving.nanotechnology:
.
1.. Database.on.human.health.and.environmental.safety.research
.
2.. EHS.research.strategies.on.manufactured.nanomaterials
.
3.. Safety.testing.of.a.representative.set.of.manufactured.nanomaterials
.
4.. Manufactured.nanomaterials.and.test.guidelines
.
5.. Cooperation.on.voluntary.schemes.and.regulatory.programs
.
6.. Cooperation.on.risk.assessments.and.exposure.measures
Additionally,.in.2006,.the.OECD.Committee.for.Scientiic.and.Technological.
Policy. (CSTP). created. a. Working. Party. on. Nanotechnology. (WPN).. The. WPN.
is. intended. to. provide. advice. and. comment. on. emerging. policy-relevant. issues.
of. science,. technology,. and. innovation. related. to. the. responsible. development. of.
nanotechnology.
4.12.3 C
anadian
i
nitiatives
Environment.Canada.and.Health.Canada.have.developed.a.proposal.for.a.regulatory.
framework. for. nanomaterials. under. the. Canadian. Environmental. Protection. Act,.
1999.(CEPA)..Under.the.CEPA,.the.Ministers.of.the.Environment.and.Health.must.
conduct. environmental. and. human. health. risk. assessments. and. manage. appropri-
ately. any. risks. arising. from. industrial. chemical. substances. entering. the. Canadian.
market.. Stakeholders. from. industry,. non-governmental. organizations,. and. other.
interested.parties.provided.feedback.on.the.proposed.approach.to.developing.a.regu-
latory.framework,.as.well.the.options.for.gathering.information.on.industrial.nano-
materials.as.part.of.the.irst.phase.of.the.program.
According. to. Environment. Canada. and. Health. Canada,. a. regulatory. frame-
work.for.nanomaterials.needs.to.be.developed.in.a.way.that.is.scientiically.robust.
and. harmonizes. the. outcomes. of. international. efforts.. Environment. Canada. and.
Health. Canada. have. proposed. the. development. of. a. regulatory. framework. for.
nanomaterials. consisting. of. two. phases. of. implementation. based. on. shorter. and.
longer-term.objectives.
