International. A new study, commissioned by the European Union's Nanomaterials Observatory, found gaps in current knowledge about the hazard and risk assessment of nano-sized pigments. The study identified 81 nano-sized pigments currently used in the EU market.
The study was conducted to collect publicly available information on identified nanometric pigments found on the EU market. The results show that the risks of nanopigments cannot be adequately assessed due to a lack of information on exposure, the absence of reliable nanometric toxicological data, and a general lack of public domain data on their uses.
According to the study, the available toxicological data are often inconsistent, and the reported results are often contradictory, with the exception of a limited number of well-tested substances on which general conclusions can still be drawn. The upcoming revision of the information requirements for nanomaterials registered under REACH will improve the availability of data also for nanopigments.
The report makes several recommendations for further work, including a greater emphasis on exposure assessment and control, as well as the generation of realistic and well-designed exposure scenarios in particular nanomaterials for easy access and for benchmarking of different safety measures.
An integral part of the study was to establish an inventory of the currently known nanoscopic pigments used in consumer and professional products in the EU market.
To compile this inventory, a wide range of data sources were used. These include the REACH registration database, the Danish product register and publications of the national inventories of Belgium and France.
77 substances were definitively identified as nano-sized pigments with four additional filler pigments used to increase the volume and reduce the total cost of the ink in which the pigment is used. The inventory contains 81 substances and is now available on the website of the European Union Nanomaterials Observatory (EUON).
Source: European Chemicals Agency.
