Dear Silver List, Here are some links to websites on this issue. The CTA and FOE (Center for Technology Assessment and Friends of the Earth) are making a big issue over Nano Technology.)
However, in the case of the CTA the Nano Technology is only Silver, and the hit list contains a number of bottle Colloidal Silvers including Sovereign Silver and Meso Silver among Silver Socks and Cosmetics, etc. I do not think that your generators would be confiscated, nor will there be door to door searches. However, if you have any plans of purchasing additional Colloidal Silver Generators after the EPA ruling you may be disappointed. The Colloidal Silver Generator may go the way of the Rife Machine. It is illegal to purchase a Rife Machine in California. For those who inquired about not finding information on the EPA website, the federal government generally does not list lawsuits against them. There are a number of pages at the EPA about Nano Silver and pesticides: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/about/intheworks/nanotechnology.htm "Any product containing silver – in any form – that makes claims to control pests (kills bacteria or fungi, my addition) must first be evaluated and registered by EPA to ensure it meets the FIFRA human health and environmental safety standards before it can be distributed or sold." http://epa.gov/oppt/nano/ EPA is actively participating in the Working Party and contributes to all of the projects. Of particular relevance to the in-depth portion of the Agency's Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program (NMSP) is the project on Safety Testing of a Representative Set of Manufactured Nanomaterials. The WPMN has identified a representative list of manufactured nanoscale materials for environmental health and safety testing, including: silver nanoparticles The WPMN has also published a list of testing endpoints in the following areas: nanomaterial information/identification physical-chemical properties material characterization environmental fate environmental toxicology mammalian toxicology material safety You will find in the links below that the CTA website www.nanoaction.org states that the petition (suit) against the EPA started in May 2008. The CTA action states Nano technology but their focus is nano silver which includes Colloidal Silver. The EPA has until March 2009 to make its ruling. Quick background The EPA using the The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (or FIFRA) of 1947, ruled that Silver particles are a pesticide using the the definition of antimicrobials contain with that act. They have also ruled that Colloidal Silver Generators which produce Silver Ions and is listed for sale as producing a substance capable of killing microbes is also a "pesticide" in essence, "nano silver pesticide devices." The EPA ruled over they had jurisdiction to regulate Sammsung Washing Machine that incorporated a small Generator to add Silver Ions to kill bacteria in the wash water. More recently they had issues with a computer company and its claims of nano silver (I can't recall if it was silver on the keyboard.) Not to be outdone, the Friends of the Earth (FOE) is circulating petitions to the FDA for the removal nanotechnology in cosmetics, as well. The size range for nanotechnology is definitely in the Colloidal Range. http://nanotech.lawbc.com/2008/05/articles/legalregulatory-issues/ictaled-coalition-petitions-for-fifra-regulation-of-nanoscale-silver-products/ ICTA-Led Coalition Petitions for FIFRA Regulation of Nanoscale Silver Products Posted on May 7, 2008 by Lynn L. Bergeson On May 1, 2008, the International Center for Technology Assessment (ICTA), together with 13 other consumer, health, and environmental groups, filed a petition with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) demanding that EPA regulate as pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and that it take additional actions under FIFRA and other environmental statutes concerning, consumer products containing nanoscale silver. ICTA also released an inventory (http://icta.org/nanoaction/doc/CTA%20Petition%20Appendix%20A_nano-silver_product_inventory.pdf) of the nano silver-containing consumer products referenced in the petition. The petition contends that nano silver is “the most commonly used nanomaterial in consumer products and the fastest growing sector of nanomaterial commercialization,” and that most companies “market their nano-silver products [by] putting emphasis on the nano-silver ingredient, touting its antimicrobial and antibacterial qualities . . . .” The petition states that “research has mounted to indicate that nano-silver materials pose serious risks to human health and the environment.” In support of the petition, the ICTA-led coalition pointed to, inter alia, EPA Region 9’s recent FIFRA enforcement settlement with a California company, IOGEAR, that had been making antimicrobial claims for the nano silver coating on computer accessories it was marketing. The petition requests that EPA take the following actions: Clarify that nano silver and products containing it are pesticides requiring registration under FIFRA; Classify nanomaterial pesticides such as nano silver as new pesticides [i.e., new active ingredients] that require new registrations, with nano-specific toxicity testing and risk assessment; Assess the potential human health and environmental risks of nano silver under FIFRA, the Food Quality Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act; Take immediate action, including the issuance of Stop Sale, Use, or Removal Orders, to halt the sale of nano silver products with unapproved antimicrobial claims; Fully apply all FIFRA regulations in the event EPA registers any nano silver products; and Utilize its FIFRA authority to further review the potential human health and environmental impacts of nano silver, including undertaking either a classification review or a Special Review, amending the FIFRA regulations to require as part of a registration application the submission of nanomaterial and/or nano silver-specific data, undertaking a registration review of existing bulk silver registrations, regulating nano silver pesticide devices, and establishing a tolerance for nano silver under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. "Regulating nano silver pesticide devices" translates regulating Colloidal Silver Generators. http://www.icta.org/nanoaction/doc/CTA_nano-silver_press_release_5_1_08.pdf http://www.nwrage.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2208 http://www.nanoaction.org/detail/news.cfm?news_id=205&id=244 http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2006/12/07/nano_silver_kills_microbes_epa_up_in_arms.htm http://www.icta.org/nanotech/index.cfm http://www.foe.org/camps/comm/nanotech http://www.nanotechproject.org/file_download/files/PEN2_MngEffects.pdf http://icta.org/nanoaction/doc/CTA%20Petition%20Appendix%20A_nano-silver_product_inventory.pdf Steve Foss -- The Silver List is a moderated forum for discussing Colloidal Silver. Instructions for unsubscribing are posted at: http://silverlist.org To post, address your message to: silver-list@eskimo.com Address Off-Topic messages to: silver-off-topic-l...@eskimo.com The Silver List and Off Topic List archives are currently down... 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