Consumer Labeling of Nanomaterials in the European Union and the United States

摘要

Nanotechnologies have opened the way to a wide range of innovative products in food, cosmetics, healthcare, computing, energy storage, and other areas. The result of the deliberate manipulation of matter at the molecular level (typically at a scale of approximately 100 nanometers or less, a nanometer being one-billionth of a meter), nanomaterials have been used in a growing number of products that are available to consumers worldwide. Understanding of how nanomaterials interact with the environment and thernhuman body, however, has not kept pace with the development of nanotechnologies. Early results of research suggest that the safety of all nanomaterials cannot be taken for granted. Furthermore, the ongoing expansion of nanotechnologies may produce novel nanostructures that cause currently unknown forms of hazard. While researchers and regulatory agencies are seeking to fill existing scientific knowledge gaps, the commercialization of nano-enabled products continues, primarily in Asia, Europe, and North America.