Tuesday, March 31, 2015

EPA Seeking OSH Information for Nanomaterial

©iStockphoto.com/peterscode
EPA is proposing one-time reporting and recordkeeping requirements on nanoscale chemical substances in the marketplace.

“Nanotechnology holds great promise for improving products, from TVs and vehicles to batteries and solar panels,” says Jim Jones, the agency’s assistant administrator for chemical safety and pollution prevention. “We want to continue to facilitate the trend toward this important technology.”

The proposal would require one-time reporting of existing exposure and OSH information from companies that manufacture or process chemical substances as nanoscale materials. The agency is proposing to use the Toxic Substances Control Act for the first time to collect such information.

Companies would notify EPA of:
• certain information, including specific chemical identity;
• production volume;
• methods of manufacture; processing, use, exposure, and release information; and
• available health and safety data.

EPA says this information would facilitate its evaluation of the materials and assessment of risks and risk management. Read an EPA fact sheet on nanomaterial here.