FDA sees nanotech challenges in every product category it regulatesJuly 26, 2007FDA nanotechnology task force takes a step forward WASHINGTON, DC-According to Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies Director David Rejeski, "Today, FDA took a step forward in fulfilling its responsibilities for nanotechnology oversight. If nanotechnology regulation was a baseball game, FDA has scored the first run in the first inning. But the agency must act rapidly to adopt and fully implement the Nanotechnology Task Force's recommendations. Without moving quickly and building on the recommendations in the Task Force report, FDA will not be able to keep pace with today's rapidly developing nanotechnology market or engender consumer and investor confidence in emerging products." Just released, this is the first report from the Food and Drug Administration's Nanotechnology Task Force about the agency's regulatory approach toward nanotechnology-an exciting new field of engineering and science that is estimated to grow to $2.6 trillion in manufactured goods globally by 2014. As the Task Force report highlights, nanotechnology impacts every area of FDA responsibility-drugs, drug delivery systems, cosmetics, medical devices, and food products. Overall, the agency regulates products that are worth nearly $1.5 trillion annually and that account for almost 25 percent of US consumer spending. "Today, there are more than 500 manufacturer-identified nanotechnology consumer products being sold. These can be found in an online inventory maintained by the Wilson Center's Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (see: www.nanotechproject.org/consumerproducts)," said Rejeski. "The number of listed products has more than doubled in a year. It does not include nanotech consumer products which companies do not identify as such, or the hundreds of nano raw materials, intermediate components, and industrial equipment items currently used by manufacturers." "In light of this fast-rising commercialization, FDA needs to make certain that it has the tools, resources and information necessary to ensure the safety of novel products before they enter the market, and to detect and move swiftly to correct any problems that may arise. Given the agency's insufficient resources-which for two decades have not kept pace with inflation-making sure that FDA has the capacity to safely manage nanotechnology must be the shared responsibility of Congress and our political leaders," argued Rejeski. "The agency must be 'nano-ready' for the products on the market today and able to deal with the more advanced nanotechnology applications expected in the next 5-10 years." "Many of the first generation of nanotechnology products now on the market are in sectors where FDA's statutory authority is weakest-areas like cosmetics and dietary supplements," stated Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies Chief Science Advisor Andrew Maynard. "The Task Force report clearly states that size matters in making risk management decisions. Because the chemical, physical and biological properties of nanoscale materials are often different from their larger counterparts, they potentially lead to different safety issues. The report's recommendations that FDA provide clear nanotechnology-associated guidance for manufacturers in all areas of agency responsibility are an important move towards ensuring the benefits of nanotechnology are realized without undue risk," Dr. Maynard said. "FDA is limited in its oversight of nanotechnology by the dearth of available risk research data on nanomaterials. Because the agency is resource-starved, there are scant funds for FDA to conduct its own regulatory-relevant risk research. It is critical that FDA-and other regulatory agencies-have the means necessary to evaluate which nanomaterials are harmful and which are not. This is an issue that Congressional leaders from both parties have called on the federal government to address urgently," said Maynard. Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies |
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| Related Nanotechnology Current Events and Nanotechnology News Articles New study confirms exotic electric properties of graphene First, it was the soccer-ball-shaped molecules dubbed buckyballs. Then it was the cylindrically shaped nanotubes. Now, the hottest new material in physics and nanotechnology is graphene: a remarkably flat molecule made of carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal rings much like molecular chicken wire. Behavior modification could ease concerns about nanoparticles In an advance that could help ease health and environmental concerns about the emerging nanotechnology industry, scientists are reporting development of technology for changing the behavior of nanoparticles in municipal sewage treatment plants - their main gateway into the environment. UT Knoxville and ORNL researchers turn algae into high-temperature hydrogen source In the quest to make hydrogen as a clean alternative fuel source, researchers have been stymied about how to create usable hydrogen that is clean and sustainable without relying on an intensive, high-energy process that outweighs the benefits of not using petroleum to power vehicles. Caltech scientists develop DNA origami nanoscale breadboards for carbon nanotube circuits In work that someday may lead to the development of novel types of nanoscale electronic devices, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has combined DNA's talent for self-assembly with the remarkable electronic properties of carbon nanotubes, thereby suggesting a solution to the long-standing problem of organizing carbon nanotubes into nanoscale electronic circuits. New 'finFET' promising for smaller transistors, more powerful chips Purdue University researchers are making progress in developing a new type of transistor that uses a finlike structure instead of the conventional flat design, possibly enabling engineers to create faster and more compact circuits and computer chips. Findings show nanomedicine promising for treating spinal cord injuries Researchers at Purdue University have discovered a new approach for repairing damaged nerve fibers in spinal cord injuries using nano-spheres that could be injected into the blood shortly after an accident. Magnetic nanoparticles to simultaneously diagnose, monitor and treat Whether it's magnetic nanoparticles (mNPs) giving an army of 'therapeutically armed' white blood cells direction to invade a deadly tumour's territory, or the use of mNPs to target specific nerve channels and induce nerve-led behaviour (such as the life-dependant thumping of our hearts), mNPs have come a long way in the past decade. Breakthrough in industrial-scale nanotube processing Rice University scientists today unveiled a method for the industrial-scale processing of pure carbon-nanotube fibers that could lead to revolutionary advances in materials science, power distribution and nanoelectronics. An exquisite container In campy old movies, Lucretia Borgia swans around emptying powder from her ring into wine glasses carelessly left unattended. The poison ring is usually a confection of gold filigree holding a cabochon or faceted gemstone that can be broken to empty the ring's contents. It is invariably enormous - so large it is rather odd nobody seems to notice it. University of Cincinnati researchers create all-electric spintronics A multidisciplinary team of UC researchers is the first to find an innovative and novel way to control an electron's spin orientation using purely electrical means. More Nanotechnology Current Events and Nanotechnology News Articles |
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