EPA ISSUES FIRST-TIME TSCA ORDER FOR CONTROVERSIAL NANOMATERIAL

摘要

EPA has taken an important step in its effort to regulate nanomaterials, issuing a first-time regulatory notice under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that imposes some limits on the production of a multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) - a product activists say exhibit similar characteristics as asbestos - until the company conducts additional study of the material, according to a copy of the order obtained by Inside EPA. But the move is drawing criticism from a key environmentalist, who charges the notice raises more questions than it answers about EPA's approach to regulating nanomaterials. Richard Dennison, a nanomaterial expert at the Environmental Defense Fund, says the move is a "step in the right direction," but cautioned that numerous clauses in the order gave undue leeway to the company at the expense of human health and environmental safety.