• The US NanoBusiness Alliance has commented on a report by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Alliance says that the report claimed that gaps in legal authority and insufficient resources hindered the FDA's efforts to better understand and manage the potential risks from hundreds of new products incorporating nanotechnologies. "The NanoBusiness Alliance believes that the FDA has robust legal authority and significant discretion in setting the protocols for testing to regulate nanotechnologies," said Sean Murdock, executive director of the alliance. "As the technology matures, new tests will be available and will be required or recommended for use, as appropriate." The FDA held a public meeting on FDA-regulated products containing nanotechnology materials on 10 October.
• Alltracel Pharmaceuticals of Ireland has set up Nanopeutics, a joint venture with Elmarco, Czech Republic. The venture will commercialize "Nanospider" polymer fibre spinning technology for woundcare applications. Elmarco developed the technique together with the Technical University of Liberic. Nanopeutics, which is based in the Czech Republic, claims it has already carried out successful product testing with a number of consumer and professional woundcare companies.
• Indian scientist Arup Chatterjee is to set up a global headquarters for his I-Can Nano start-up in London, UK. The company produces nanometals with applications such as paint containing nano-silver for use in hospitals, water resistant clothing, building bricks and windows. The move was announced at a UK-India investment summit.
• The US Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association (CTFA) has released a white paper on the application of nanotechnology in personal care products. "The nanoparticles used in sunscreens provide important sun protection benefits, helping reduce the risk of skin cancer," said John Bailey, executive vice-president of science at CTFA. "These sunscreen ingredients have been used safely for many years and have been evaluated and approved by the FDA [US Food and Drug Administration] and independent scientists. They are transparent and aesthetically pleasing, and therefore encourage greater consumer use." The CTFA says that the FDA concluded in 1996 that smaller, micronized particles of titanium dioxide are not new substances and that there is no evidence demonstrating that these micronized particles are unsafe.
• And finally, the ETC Group, Canada, is holding a competition for the design of a Nano-Hazard Symbol. The organization will submit the winning entry to international standard-setting bodies as a proposed symbol for nanotechnology hazards. The closing date for entries is 8 January 2007.