NANOSILVER FAST TRACKED BY EPA
SILVER NANOPARTICLES IN TOYS
AND APPAREL.
The
use of nanoparticles in consumer products is controversial; among other things,
the size of some nanoparticles allows them to permeate blood vessels entering
the blood stream Results respect of human health have not been sufficiently
studied. But the EPA authorizes their use without sufficient studies. The
following article describes a specific case.
EPA’S FAST-TRACK APPROVAL
PROCESS FOR PESTICIDES RAISES HEALTH CONCERNS (excerpts from an article by Katia Savchuk, The Circle
for Investigative Reporting news, Jan 15, 2014, cited by AboveTheFold
[AboveTheFold@newsletters.environmentalhealthnews.org])
Tiny particles of silver could appear soon in children’s
toys and clothing, embedded inside plastics and fabrics to fight stains and
odors. No one knows how the germ-killing particles, part of a new pesticide
called Nanosilva, affect human health or the environment in the long run. But
regulators have proposed letting Nanosilva on the market for up to four years
before the manufacturer has to submit studies on whether the particles pose
certain dangers.
Conventional
silver has been used as an antibacterial product for centuries. It releases
ions that are deadly for many bacteria and fungi. But recently, scientists have
broken down silver into particles more than 1,000 times smaller than the width
of a human hair – some not much wider than a DNA strand. They’re called
nanosilver.
Regular
silver is highly toxic to fish and other aquatic life but isn’t usually
dangerous for humans. But scientists say nanosilver could pose unique hazards,
and they know little about its long-term risks. Animal studies show that
nanosilver can slip into cells and build up in the brain, heart and other
organs. The EPA doesn’t know whether nanosilver causes reproductive harm or
cancer because there are no valid studies. Research on animals suggests that it
can collect in the male reproductive system, potentially harming fertility, and
may cause genetic mutations, which sometimes are linked to cancer.
Regulators still are grappling with how to deal with
nanomaterials. While only two companies have asked for EPA approval, hundreds
of products containing nanosilver already are on the market, according to an inventory by The Project on
Emerging Nanotechnologies.
Recent reviews have found vast problems with the EPA’s
oversight of conditional
registration. Thousands of pesticides kept conditional status for more than
20 years, says the Natural Resources Defense Council, a nonprofit environmental
advocacy group, found in 2010. The EPA says studies typically are due within
four years. But at least seven independent reviews dating back to 1980 have
noted flaws with the agency’s systems for tracking pesticide registrations. The
EPA also has fast-tracked other controversial pesticides, including ones linked
to the collapse of honeybee colonies and tree deaths. The EPA first told
federal auditors it would develop an automated tracking system more than 25
years ago.
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