US to consider regulations for nanotech industry

Nanotechnology was incorporated into more than US$50 billion in manufactured goods last year and the market is expected to grow to US$2.6 trillion by 2014, according to a report by Lux Research, yet no nanospecific regulation exists anywhere in the world.

Most regulatory agencies remain in an information-gathering mode — lacking the legal and scientific tools, information and resources to adequately oversee exponential market growth.

Now, top officials of the US agencies responsible for the regulation of nanotechnology products — including the Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Department of Agriculture — will meet at a Food and Drug Law Institute conference to discuss their plans for managing and monitoring these products.

At FDLI's 1st Annual Conference on Nanotechnology Law, Regulation and Policy, in Washington DC late February, food and drug industry representatives will find out what's happening internationally on nanotech regulation, how venture capitalists look at the future of nanotechnology and what the leading corporations, scientific laboratories and academic centres are focusing on in the industry.

The conference will address issues surrounding nanotechnology law, regulation and policy, including:

• What first- and second-generation nanotechnology products are already on the market and what is to come?
• Is Congress ready to act on nanotechnology if federal regulators do not?
• Do Europe and Asia approach nanotechnology safety and oversight differently than the US?
• How do consumers see nanoproducts?
• When it comes to nanotechnology, should size make a regulatory difference?

For more information or to register for the conference, visit http://www.fdli.org/conf/431.