WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (UPI) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to
require environmental safety guarantees from makers of products containing
silver nanoparticles.
The tiny particles are used in a wide range of products like shoe liners,
food containers and even washing machines to kill bacteria and eliminate odors.
Critics say the particles, when released into the environment, can destroy
microscopic organisms including beneficial bacteria.
The EPA decision this week was a change of course from previous decisions
that nanoparticles do not require regulation.
A number of substances, including carbon and gold, behave differently
when split into particles a tiny fraction of the width of a human hair. While
the EPA decision on silver does not affect other nanomaterials, it is the first
on any of them.
"Nanotechnology can mean so many different things," said Andrew Maynard
of the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars. "Specific examples like this will gradually help us make
clear decisions as to whether existing regulatory approaches are adequate."
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