News Release

American Chemistry Council Backs EPA Program Focused on Nanoscale Materials

ARLINGTON, VA (January 28, 2008) – The American Chemistry Council (ACC) today announced its support for a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiative that will provide information to enable better oversight and understanding of the potential risks and benefits of nanoscale chemical products.

The Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program (NMSP) is a voluntary program intended to help provide a firmer scientific foundation for regulatory decisions by encouraging submissions of hazard and other information, including risk management practices, for nanoscale materials.

The ACC’s Nanotechnology Panel worked closely with EPA for over two years in the development of NMSP to help ensure the program is successful and yields the information EPA needs. The panel strongly urges all developers, producers, importers, processors and/or users of manufactured nanomaterials to participate. The NMSP includes nanomaterials that are either new or existing chemical substances (as determined by the status of the substance on the TSCA Chemical Substances Inventory).

“Participating in the NMSP will provide relevant stakeholders the opportunity to provide input to EPA that can be used to design future regulatory programs that consider factors unique to manufactured nanomaterials,” stated ACC Nanotechnology Panel Manager, William Gulledge.  “Now is the time to become involved,” continued Gulledge.

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