On Monday, Jan. 11 2021 ZonMW presented the ‘knowledge agenda Microplastics and Health’ to the Dutch State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management. This knowledge agenda describes the most important knowledge gaps and calls for more research. In presenting this knowledge agenda, ZonMw also publicly announced the awarding of the MOMENTUM project. [...]
Titanium dioxide as a hallmark of PSLT is used in food (E171) and cosmetics (CI 77891) has been classified in Europe as a suspected carcinogen. Bulk E171 will be v=delivered from producers labelled as a carcinogen category 2 to downstream industry, but any resulting food product will not require labelling because of [...]
Read-across is a valuable technique that Nanoconsult is currently exploring in advising ICCA on health impact assessment of microplastic particles. While learning the principles, the availavble literature and guidance documents from ECHA (RAAF, 2017) it appeared more and more to be network of rules and principles that have been made up [...]
Microplastic particles (MPs) have traditionally been considered an issue for marine environmental systems. However, awareness of human exposure is increasing, particularly as data on the ubiquitous distribution of MPs in indoor and outdoor air, food, drinking water and soil emerge. Despite concern, there is little evidence available on the level and [...]
Last week I attended through webcast the 2-day workshop on Microplastics organized by the National Academy of Sciences in the USA in Washington DC. I was struck by the enormous drive of research groups to identify and characterise these solid materials in seas, soils and tissues. At the same time it reminded [...]
It is hard to imagine but the classification of TiO2 which was anticipated to occur last month by a "Delegated Act" was not accepted (yet) by the EU parliament. Member states are again invited to submit their views. Read summary by Martin Engelmann : https://www.linkedin.com/posts/martin-engelmann-615312a8_titaniumdioxide-tio2-rollercoaster-activity-6600056016795123712-Wemq
The expert report on the outcomes of the PSLT workshop in Edinburgh has been submitted to Inhalation Toxicology. We have decided to split the paper into two parts, i,e, 1) the consensus opinion of the experts as condensed during the workshop, and 2) our personal interpretation as moderators and experts in [...]
We spent 2 full days with 15 invited experts and 15 observers to discuss the state of the art science on PSLT. In breakout sessions we discussed the definition of PSLT, the definition of overload, the releavnce of the rat as a model for PSLT inhalation toxicology and finally the human [...]
The classification of TiO2 by the European Chemical Agency in 2017 has initiated a series of events and discussions that forward a workshop on particle overload and the consequences drawn from rodent inhalation studies. After the EU classification of titanium dioxide, the suggestion has been raised that Poorly Soluble particles of [...]
France has withdrawn its intention for harmonized classification of crystalline silica (See ECHA’s registry of intentions: https://echa.europa.eu/registry-of-clh-intentions-until-outcome/-/dislist/details/0b0236e180b9b823) The listed reason for withdrawal: As “work involving exposure to respirable crystalline silica dust” is now included in the Directive 2017/2398/CE, French MSCA considers that the need to propose a classification as carcinogen [...]
