Conference focuses on regulation of nanotechnology

By Simon Pitman

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Nanotechnology Regulation

With big changes afoot for nanotechnology regulation a one day conference at the University of Arizona will look at how changes will affect various industries, including cosmetics.

The new regulations are expected to be introduced in the course of this year, raising questions over policy as well business, legal and manufacturing issues, all of which could prove of vital importance to anyone incorporating nanotechnology into their business model.

To be held on March 21 and sponsored by the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at the university, the program will include a full day of presentations embracing areas as considering different regulatory perspectives to looking at ways of managing the new regulation.

Full-day program featuring five key topic areas

Regulation and Risk Management of Nanotechnology will be held from 8am to 5pm at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix and will include five different presentation segments presented by ten different industry experts.

Nanotechnology has broken ground in the sun care category, where nano-titanium dioxide has become an industry standard in effective protection, together with the anti-aging segment, where nano-sized actives are claimed to have vastly improved product efficacy.

However, because of the microscopic size of the particles the effect they may or may not have on topical applications remains a gray area. In line with this, the regulation of nanotechnology applications in cosmetics, as well as other industries, is being closely monitored by government bodies.

The Regulatory Challenge of Nanotechnology

The first session is called The Regulatory Challenge of Nanotechnology, and well look at both the regulatory and scientific challenges this process involves. The second session is called Regulatory Agency Perspective and will include representatives from institutions such as the US FDA and the Nanotechnology Research Center.

The Non Regulatory Risk Management Approaches segment will include an overview from Daniel Firino, from the Department of Public Administration and Policy at the American University, as well as Steffi Frances from the Nanotechnology Industry Association.

The penultimate session is entitled Stakeholder Perspectives which will look at regulation from both the point of view of the law perspective and NGOs; while the final presentation, Is Liability in the Future for Nanotechnology and will include a presentation from Professor Timothy Malloy of the Sustainable Technology and Policy Program at UCLA School of Law.

For further details about this conference, or to register, please click here​.

Related topics Regulation & Safety

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