Canadian Study Finds Regulations Can Handle Nanotechnology

In response to a request by government agency Health Canada, the nonprofit Council of Canadian Academies has released a study on the risks of nanomaterials (see EBN Vol. 17, No. 3 for more on nanotechnology). The group found that nanomaterials are too new and unstudied for a full risk assessment, but it believes existing regulatory mechanisms in Canada can be adjusted to account for the new risks that nanomaterials pose to human health and the environment.

To adjust these mechanisms, definitions of nanomaterials would need to be developed, and regulatory “triggers” (actions or materials that bring regulations into play) would need to be reworked. The report recommends a precautionary approach to nanomaterials until a full scientific risk assessment can be performed, similar to the approach Canada has taken with some other materials. The report is online at www.scienceadvice.ca/nanotechnology.html.