Nanomaterial Data Remain Scarce

Company participation in EPA's voluntary Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program (NMSP) remains low, according to an interim report released by EPA on Jan. 12. EPA launched NMSP in January 2008 and gave companies the option of joining a basic program, in which they would submit only information that they already have about their nanoscale materials, or a more in-depth program, in which over time they would provide additional information, such as exposure, fate, and transport data. The program got off to a weak start, and although participation has improved since the six-month mark, the number of companies participating is still about 10 times fewer than EPA had predicted. As of Dec. 8, 2008, 29 companies had submitted information on 123 nanoscale materials under the basic program, and only four companies had agreed to participate in the in-depth program. EPA and the chemical industry consider the program successful, but critics argue that the poor participation underscores the need for mandatory reporting and testing of these materials.