Euro-Parliament Backs Green Calls For Action On 'Unchecked' Nanomaterials

The European Parliament adopted a Green report in plenary today which calls for tougher regulation on nanomaterials used commonly in everyday products throughout the EU (1). The South East's Green MEP Caroline Lucas, who has campaigned for better protection for consumers against potentially harmful nanomaterials, welcomed the vote. She commented:

"It is encouraging that an overwhelming majority of MEPs backed the report of my Green colleague addressing the Commission's unacceptable 'wait-and-see' attitude towards nanomaterials. MEPs have agreed that we need a complete overhaul of EU legislation within two years to ensure nanomaterials are safe.

"Nanomaterials find their ways into more and more consumer products - in particular highly sensitive ones such as cosmetics, cleaning products and textiles. It is neither safe nor responsible to allow such products on the market with almost no information about their use and their safety, and no specific legal provisions to ensure they are not harmful.

"It is particularly irresponsible for the Commission to suggest that general Community legislation covers the risks of nanomaterials and that we need only improve the implementation of current laws. In truth, the Community legislation is devoid of nano-specific provisions and is effectively blind to its risks.

"While the use of nanomaterials comes with the promise of many (yet to be proven) benefits, they may also present significant new risks due to their minute size, such as increased reactivity and mobility, possibly leading to increased toxicity in combination with unrestricted access to the human body.

The Green MEP concluded: "The resolution adopted today by the European Parliament is more than a wake-up call for the Commission and the chemical industry: it is a loud and clear demand that the Commission needs not only to revise its stance on nanomaterials, but that it needs to revisit all relevant Community laws in the next two years to ensure safety for all applications of nanomaterials during their life cycle.

"In doing so, the Parliament has backed the Green principle, 'no data, no market'. We just cannot allow nanomaterials to be put onto the market with no or inadequate safety assessments.