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March 9, 2009: As reported in the Electronic Engineering Times, the U.S.
EPA has begun enforcing new rules for companies handling carbon nanotubes.
Manufacturers will be required to file premanufacturing notices, which will be
used to evaluate the health and safety measures necessary to protect workers and
consumers from possible health hazards associated with the tubes.
The
Toxic Substances Control Act stipulated the premanufacturing notices in October
2008. Though categorized differently from graphite or carbon black, carbon
nanotubes are classified as chemicals and thus fall under the jurisdiction of
the EPA's Chemical Control Division. The EPA's Office of Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance will collect and evaluate the premanufacturing notices.
In Canada, companies are required to report when they manufacture or
purchase nanoparticles in quantities of 1 kg or more. They also must provide
information about the material's physical and chemical properties, and describe
how it will be used, handled and stored.
As it formulates its own
policies, the U.S. EPA is transitioning from information gathering to risk
control, according to experts speaking at a recent conference on nanotechnology
regulation. Eventually, all manufacturers using carbon nanotubes will be
required to supply protective suits and breathing apparatuses to workers who
handle the tubes.
Manufacturers also will be asked to pay for developing
toxicity data. Depending on the application, some may also be required to embed
nanotubes in a polymer or otherwise confine them.
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