The Australian Parliamentary Secretary for Health has announced the release of a public discussion paper concerning the strengthening of regulations on industrial nanomaterials use in Australia.

The discussion paper addresses the six key areas for regulatory reform identified by the independent Monash Report: Review of the Possible Impacts of Nanotechnology on Australia's Regulatory Frameworks.

Major regulatory reforms explored by the discussion paper include:

• refinement of pre?market assessment categories for nanoforms of new chemicals, particularly where human health or environmental exposure can reasonably be anticipated;
• a mandatory notification and assessment program for nanoforms of existing chemicals.

The national regulator of industrial chemicals, the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS), will be working with comparable overseas regulatory authorities that are also actively considering similar measures.

NICNAS stakeholder consultation pages and downloadable documents

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary for Health Media Release