... And Request Nanotech Data

Environment Canada plans to send out a request for information this month to all Canadian companies and institutions that manufactured or imported more than 1 kg of a nanoscale substance during 2008. The one-time request will be used to gather information, such as existing toxicity and physicochemical data, to help Canada develop a regulatory framework and assess the potential risks of nanoscale materials. The action by Canada comes just weeks after EPA reported that a limited number of manufacturers have voluntarily provided the agency with information about nanoscale substances being produced in the U.S. "Governments lack information on the type, quantity, and possible risks of nanoscale materials being manufactured and used in products today. This is information that is vital to ensuring the safe use of nanotechnology," Andrew Maynard, chief science adviser at the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, said in a statement. Canada will be the first country to require manufacturers of nanoscale materials to provide information about their products.