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Spotlight July 2022: New definition on nanomaterials published
The European Union has published a new definition for nanomaterials as of June 2022. It is recommended that this be used as a basis for future legislation. The new documents can be found on the EC website.
In the new “nanodefinition”, the essential components such as the origin or the size range of the particles (1-100 nm) remain mostly unchanged, but some aspects are simplified that were only included in the old definition from 2011 through explicit extensions. For example, nanomaterials with dimensions below one nanometre, such as some nanotubes and graphene, which were previously explicitly included, are now included generically. For this purpose, elongated particles with two external dimensions smaller than 1 nm and one dimension larger than 100 nm as well as platelet-like particles with one dimension smaller than 1 nm and two dimensions larger than 100 nm are newly taken into account. Particles with two orthogonal external dimensions larger than 100 µm no longer have to be taken into account.
Likewise, some decision criteria have been clarified and simplified. The previous criterion that a material with a volume specific surface area (VSSA) of 60 m2/cm3 or more was classified as nano has now been dropped. Conversely, in future a material can be designated as non-nano if the VSSA is smaller than 6 m2/cm3. Finally, the threshold for the particle number-based size distribution in the new definition is no longer flexible, but fixed at 50 %.
Weitere Spotlights
Spotlight September: A methodology for the automatic evaluation of data quality and completeness of nanomaterials for risk assessment purposes
This paper describes a method for automatically assessing the quality and completeness of nanosafety data for the purpose of risk assessment. Steps to develop the methodology for assessing data completeness and the methodology for assessing quality are presented. The methodology is tailored to physicochemical and hazard (meta) data, but can also be configured with appropriate […]
Read moreSpotlight September 2020: Groundwater remediation with Carbo-Iron® – Risk or Benefit?
In September we would like to present a paper of the BMBF project Fe-Nanosit. The project dealt with the use of iron-containing nanomaterials in groundwater and wastewater remediation. A comprehensive assessment and weighing of benefits and possible environmental risks resulting from the application is now presented by the project partners in this paper. Groundwater is indispensable for the […]
Read moreSpotlight Juli 2020: “Nanosafety – More than just regulatory processes”
Nanosafety is more than just a compulsory aspect of nanomaterials research and regulation. This research area also has great potential to drive new innovations. It is exactly this perspective that is addressed in the special issue “Rethinking Nanosafety: Harnessing Progress and Driving Innovation” by Chen et al. 2020. The article illustrates that especially in the field of […]
Read moreSpotlight June 2023: New catalytic process for recovering important materials from composites in a single process
Previously virtually impossible and a huge problem: fibre-reinforced resin composites (epoxides) were not recyclable, and wind turbine rotor blades, for example, add up to a waste pile of 43 million tons by 2050. Researchers have now taken an important first step in “reprocessing” these composites and catalytically dissolving them so that the carbon fibres and […]
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