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JRC Report Reviews Measurement Methods for Nanoparticle Sizing
A new report by the European Commission‘s Joint Research Centre (JRC) presents an in-depth review of methods available to measure the size of nanoparticles. Following the adoption of the definition of the term nanomaterial in October 2011, this report identifies relevant measurement methods and key challenges for measuring nanoparticle size in the regulatory context. The report underlines that no single measurement method can be used for all materials to determine if each of them falls within the regulatory definition. Different methods will be required depending on the material under investigation.
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/jrc/downloads/jrc_20120917_ newsrelease_measurement_methods.pdf
Project TECNALIA / INNOBITE
TECNALIA is leading the development of new bio- composites based on the transformation of urban and agricultural waste into high-performance products for the construction sector. These innovative materials will be developed within the framework of INNOBITE – INNOvative BIocomposiTEs, a European Commission FP7 collaborative project co-participated by several research centres and European SMEs: VTT (FI), EMPA (CH), EXERGY (UK), VERTECH (FR), TECNARO (DE), ECOPULP (FI), ACF (ES) and CIMV (FR).
Project IMPROVE
The 35 European partners in the research project IMPROVE – implementing manufacturing science solutions to increase equipment productivity and fab performance – have succeeded in making the European semiconductor industry more competitive in the global arena. In 2009, a group of renowned European semiconductor companies joined together under the technical project management of Infineon Technologies AG. Their aim was to identify new methods to increase the efficiency of semiconductor manufacturing in Europe and, at the same time, reduce costs and processing times. Technology partners of the project funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) were software enterprises, semiconductor companies with production sites in Europe, research institutes and academia from Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Portugal.
http://www.infineon.com/cms/en/corporate/press/news/releases/2012/INFXX201209-063.html
Nanomaterials: Case by Case Safety Approach for Breakthrough Technology
The European Commission adopted a Communication on the Second Regulatory Review on Nanomaterials, which also includes the Commission’s plans to improve EU law to ensure the safe use of nanomaterials. The Communication underlines nanomaterials‘ diverse nature and types, ranging from everyday materials that have been used safely for decades to highly sophisticated industrial materials and tumour therapies. There is an increasing body of information on the hazard properties of nanomaterials, which are difficult to generalize and justify specific risk assessments.