Former FDA Official Calls for Increased FDA Nanotech Authority

Posted on April 24, 2007 by Michael E. Heintz

By Tim Cahill:

The April 20, 2007 edition of FDA Week reports that the former deputy commissioner in the FDA's policy office, Michael Taylor, repeated his call for Congress to grant FDA enhanced regulatory authority with respect to products that utilize nanotechnology, particularly cosmetics, dietary supplements, and foods.

Mr. Taylor believes that FDA should have the authority to force companies to disclose information about the nanotechnology they use in these products so the agency can better monitor the associated risks. Mr. Taylor made this assertion while speaking at a Food and Drug Law Institute conference on April 12th, and he initially raised this issue in a report he wrote last October for the Wilson Center's Project on Nanotechnology entitled "Regulating the Products of Nanotechnology: Does FDA Have the Tools It Needs?"

 

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Berkeley City Council to Consider Nanotechnology Regulation

Posted on November 29, 2006 by Michael E. Heintz
On December 5, 2006 the Berkeley, California City Council will have its first reading of an ordinance to amend its municipal laws to included specific regulation of nanoparticles.  If passed, this would be the first known instance of nanoparticle regulation at the local level.

The draft agenda for Council's December 5 meeting includes, as "new business," a first reading of an ordinance entitled "Manufactured Nanoparticle Health and Safety Disclosure."  This ordinance is an amendment to Berkeley Municipal Code Sections 15.12.040 and 15.12.050, addressing disclosure requirements for hazardous materials and waste management.  Those immediately impacted include the University of California-Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, both of which conduct nanotechnology research within Berkeley City Limits.  The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the amendment  is being urged by the Community Environmental Advisory Committee "because so little is understood about the possible impact of the materials on human health."

The draft ordinance is also asking that letters be sent to elected officials asking them to earmark a percentage of funds included in the National Nanotechnology Initiative's annual budget for health and safety research.

Updates on the progress of this ordinance will be posted as they become available.
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