In a crude sense of matters, nanotechnology is all about an extremely small dimension, one billionth of a meter, to be precise. At the nanoscale, the rules of the game are not the same as those we have been playing till now with respect to conventional chemicals and substances. On the one hand, nanotechnology has…

An alternative to conventional plant protection products (PPPs) may be seen in the development of engineered nanoparticles as “nanopesticides”. Those can include the encapsulation of active ingredients as a nanocarrier, a nano-formulation of the active ingredient (AI), or the development of nano-engineered structures that render pesticidal properties (Kookana et al., 2019). The ultimate effect of…

Several different types of nanomaterials have been utilized as pigments since time immemorial. For instance, in ancient Egypt, the soot from oil lamps was used to make black pigments of high opacity and stability. These were ideal as black ink for writing on papyrus scrolls. These soot particles or pigments, as we would call them…

In our many previous blog entries, we have talked about nanomaterial regulation within the EU. In general, nanomaterials and nanoforms are covered within the same meticulous regulatory framework, i.e. the REACH and CLP regulations. After decades of discussions between the EU member states, the European Commission, scientists and other stakeholders, new revisions to the existing…