Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
EPA's.jurisdiction.over.nanopesticides.under.FIFRA..For.example,.as.of.this.writing,.
the.EPA.is.expected.to.revise.the.pesticide.registration.application.to.require.pesti-
cide.particle.size.information,.a.data.ield.that.heretofore.the.EPA.has.not.required.
to. be. completed.. It. is. not. clear. if. this. information. will. be. sought. with. respect. to.
active.ingredients.only,.or.active.ingredients.and.any.inert.ingredient.included.in.a.
pesticide.formulation.
New.agricultural/antimicrobial.products.and.application.techniques.are.likely.to.
revolutionize.these.markets,.and.there.are.many.commercial.opportunities.to.pro-
mote. sustainable. agricultural. and. pollution. prevention. through. nanotechnologies..
Industry.stakeholders.and.others.must.engage.with.the.EPA.and.the.U.S..Department.
of.Agriculture. early,.openly,. and. regularly.to. ensure.nanotechnologies.fulill.their.
promise.as.pollution.prevention.and.sustainable.agricultural.tools.
.
the Clean aiR aCt (Caa)
4.3.1 Caa s
tatutOry
and
r
egulatOry
b
aCkgrOund
The. Clean. Air. Act. (CAA). is. an. important. statute. for. controlling. environmental.
impacts. of. nanotechnology. given. the. potential. implications. for. human. health. of.
airborne.nanoparticles..Due.to.their.size,.ambient.nanoparticles.may.be.especially.
effective.in.producing.respiratory.inlammation..The.discussion.below.identiies.the.
likeliest. CAA. pathway. that. the. EPA. and. other. regulatory. agencies. might. use,. as.
well.as.their.respective.limitations.as.workable.regulatory.tools.for.managing.emis-
sions.from.applied.nanotechnology.
.The.EPA's.Ofice.of.Air.and.Radiation.(OAR).
has.issued.little.to.no.information.regarding.how.it.intends.to.approach.regulating.
nanoscale.materials..Several.statutory.provisions.would.appear.to.provide.the.EPA.
with.the.authority.to.regulate.nanoscale.substances.and.the.CAA..Each.is.discussed.
below.
...
national air Quality standards for Particulates
under Caa sections 0 and 0
CAA. Section. 109. requires. the. EPA. to. establish. national. ambient. air. quality. stan-
dards.(NAAQS).for.each.of.the.so-called.“criteria”.pollutants.identiied.by.the.EPA.
in.Section.108..These.two.provisions.were.the.drivers.that.helped.power.the.CAA.in.
the.early.years.after.its.1970.enactment..Section.108(a)(1).directs.the.EPA.to.publish,.
and.periodically.to.revise,.a.list.of.air.pollutants.from.“numerous.or.diverse.mobile.
or.stationary.sources,”.the.emissions.of.which.“cause.or.contribute.to.air.pollution.
.For.a.more.detailed.review.of.CAA.and.nanotechnology,.see.ABA,.SEER,.CAA.Nanotechnology.Brief-
ing.Paper.(June.2006),.available.at.http://www.abanet.org/environ/nanotech/pdf/CAA.pdf.
