(Nanowerk News) Nanotechnologies are expected to bring benefits to many areas. They are enabling technologies which will interact with and reinforce the potential of other technologies like information and communication technologies and biotechnology, with a wide range of potential applications. At the nano scale, matter shows different properties, making it difficult to predict potential adverse impact on health and the environment. As a result, the European Commission has developed a policy for their safe, integrated and responsible development.

To that end, the Commission is continuously monitoring the developments in nanotechnologies and is using the independent EU Scientific Committees to contribute to the assessment of health and environmental risks that they may pose. In this context, the recent opinion on the Risk Assessment of Nanomaterials by the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) timely contributes to current discussions on nanomaterials in the EU legislative proposals relating to novel foods and cosmetics as well as for the implementation of existing legislation such as REACH.

In its latest opinion, the SCENIHR builds on and confirms or further develops the findings reported in its earlier opinions published in 2006 and 2007: the methodologies for assessing exposure to manufactured nanomaterials to humans and the environment, as well as the identification of potential hazards require further development. Furthermore, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Products (SCCP) – which is now replaced by the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) – has also contributed to the discussions with its opinion on the Safety of Nanomaterials in cosmetic products.

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