Industry Fears New EU Nanomaterial Definition is 'Too Broad'

摘要

The European Commission, after years of discussion, today published and adopted an official definition of a nanomaterial. Cefic has voiced concerns that the definition is too broad and could adversely affect industry with the potential for regulating substances not previously considered to be nanomaterials. The commission's definition of a nanomaterial is "a natural, incidental or manufac- tured material containing particles, in an unbound state or as an aggregate or as an agglomerate and where, for 50% or more of the particles in the number size distribution, one or more external dimensions is in the size range 1 nm – 100 nm." The definition adopted today is based on an approach that considers the size of the constituent particles of a material, rather than hazard or risk, the commission says.