European Union

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) will have a webinar on 24 February 2020 to give advice to companies when they register nanoforms of substances. The webinar will present lessons learned and give examples of best practice.  Since 1 January 2020 substance registrations should include information in the dossier of nanoforms fullfilling the European Commission definition. 

Registrations for the webinar is open. The webinar starst at 12:00 Eastern European Time (GMT +2). 

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has just published the minutes of the 8th EFSA Cross Cutting Working Group on Nanotechnologies meeting held on 17 January. The meeting discussed among other things, the October request from the European Commission to develop a Technical guidance to establish the presence of particles in the nanoscale.

On 22 January, the EC Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) working group on nanomaterials in cosmetic products held its latest meeting.  The topics for discussion included e.g. a request from DG GROW for a joined memorandum of concerns with the Scientific Committee on Health, Environment and Emerging Risks (SCHEER). The WG also discussed a new draft mandate related to CMR exemption for TiO2 (both nano and non nano forms). 

The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC) have just published their 2^nd report related to the EC nanomaterials definition recommendation. The report ‘Identification of nanomaterials through measurements’ and raises several points to consider in the assessment of particulate materials according to the nanomaterial definition and weather a particulate is to be considered a nanomaterial or not.

At the 19-20 November meeting of CARACAL Committee an update of REACH Annex II ‘Requirements for the compilation of safety data sheets’ was given a favourable opinion by all the Member States. The act is now out for scrutiny with a deadline for 7 March.