Chapter 4 – Regulatory and environmental Issues of nanotechnology safety

Abstract

The status of regulation of nanotechnology, as it relates to manufacture and use of inorganic engineered nanoparticles, is reviewed, with discussion of how soft law (or the individual protocols and lobbying of stakeholders) is evolving into hard law in the United States. Several instances of the history of development of hard law in the United Status, specifically EPA-based significant new use rules (SNUR) for several nanoparticles is described, including carbon nanotubes and siloxane-modified silica and alumina. A global perspective of the actions of stakeholders is also reviewed. Selected literature citations are tabulated to aid the interested reader in self-informing on the risks and potential for toxicity of certain nanoparticles as each laboratory and industrial concern in the readership takes steps to assess risk for, prevent, prepare for, and respond to the potential for unintended exposures.