Content Library

Dealing with Sameness and Similarity Grouping and Read Across of Advanced

How can grouping and read-across approaches support regulatory compliance for graphene and advanced nanomaterials? ACCORDS and iCARE hosted a focused virtual workshop introducing the principles of grouping and read-across as applied to advanced and nanomaterials. The workshop presented Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (IATAs) for inhalation and neurotoxicity endpoints in graphene 2D related materials, the linking of biological effects with materials characteristics, and shared…

NIA Meeting Report on the 26th MEETING OF THE WORKING PARTY ON MANUFACTURED NANOMATERIALS (OECD) - 24 June 2026, Paris

NOTE: This document and all appended documents are confidential to registered NIA Members.

LEARN Project: A Call for Action on Indoor Air Quality in European Schools

Through its work on the LEARN project, the NIA has co-authored a policy briefing setting out concrete recommendations to improve indoor air quality in schools across Europe. Project findings show that poor air quality affects both the health and cognitive performance of school children — and that the means to address it exist. Yet indoor air quality remains largely unregulated at EU level, with no common policy framework in place. The briefing calls for coordinated action involving schools…

ECHA Nanomaterial Expert Group 23 Meeting

The ECHA NMEG held its 23rd meeting in Helsinki on 7–8 May 2026, focusing on regulatory and scientific developments concerning nanomaterials under REACH. ECHA reported the continuous growth in nanoform registrations and the number of Technical Completeness Checks by April 2026. Ongoing compliance checks and evaluations continue for titanium dioxide (TiO₂), zinc oxide (ZnO), graphene oxide, pigment red 112, and synthetic amorphous silica (SAS. Discussions highlighted persistent challenges in…

Dealing with Sameness and Similarity: Grouping and Read-Across of Advanced (Nano)Materials Workshop  

As part of its work in the iCare Project, the NIA managed and chaired a workshop on grouping and read across of advanced (nano) materials. Kai Paul from NIA Member Blue Frog Scientific gave the introductory talk to introduce the recent ECHA funded work that has been undertaken to support a framework for identifying single nanoforms. This was followed by talks from Damjana Drobne (University of Ljubljana) on the ACCORDS characterisation for linking biological effects with physicochemical…

Special Purpose Committee on Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) 2nd Meeting 

The NIA’s Special Purpose Committee on Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) held its second meeting on 13 May 2026 and was attended by NIA Members and invited guests. Chaired by NIA Member Cabot, the Special Committee is aimed at agreeing join positions on CNTs, providing advocacy to relevant regulators and policymakers, sharing information on CNT topics and undertaking collaborative work on areas of interest to NIA members such as exposure levels, standards and Test Guidelines. The meeting had a very full…

Standardisation updates 

Under CEN/TC 352 Nanotechnologies through M/461 Standardization Mandate to CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI for standardization activities regarding nanotechnologies, the following have been published CEN/TS 18269 (WI 00352043) Nanotechnologies - Guidance on the determination of the aggregation and agglomeration state of nano-objects CEN/TS 18267 (WI 00352044) Nanotechnologies - Guidelines for sample preparation, detection, identification, and characterization by spICP-MS and EM-EDX of nano-objects in…

NIA Meeting Report on the CEN/TC 352 Nanotechnologies 37th meeting - 27 March 202

The NIA’s Director of Regulatory Affairs Blanca Suarez attended the recent CEN/TC 352 Nanotechnologies committee meeting. This committee works in close coordination with ISO/TC 229 and meets regularly to review current standards and identify future standards work. Sara Grahovac was appointed as the new Chairperson of the committee and we will be featuring an interview with her in a future NIA newsletter. Members can access a full report of the meeting below.

OECD publishes new guidance on regulatory research data

The OECD has released a new Guidance Document (Testing & Assessment No. 417) providing a harmonised framework for research data used in regulatory decision-making. The guidance explicitly includes nanomaterials and advanced materials, setting criteria for study quality, documentation, and transparency to support data acceptance in frameworks such as REACH, TSCA, and K‑REACH. 📘 Read more: https://one.oecd.org/document/ENV/CBC/MONO%282025%2918/en/pdf

Nanoplastics Use of Suitable Terminology For Representation In Waste, Degradation of Plastics and Presence in the Environment

The NIA is urging regulators, the media, and public agencies to stop using the term "nanoplastics" in isolation, warning that the label wrongly conflates intentionally manufactured nanomaterials with plastic particles created by environmental degradation.Science currently cannot distinguish a manufactured nanoplastic particle from one formed by fragmentation of larger plastics in the environment, making the terminology not just imprecise but potentially damaging to the wider nanomaterials sector.The NIA's fix is straightforward: always qualify the term with "incidental" or "manufactured" depending on context, a small change that could prevent significant regulatory and reputational harm to an industry that produces very few intentional nanoplastics.

Bridging the Governance Gap: Divergent EU Approaches to Nano and Advanced Materials

The EU's ambition to lead in advanced materials innovation is on a collision course with its own chemical safety regime, as two powerful Commission directorates pull industry in opposite directions. Companies are being asked to comply with nanomaterial regulations that outpace the science needed to meet them, leaving businesses, particularly SMEs, exposed to costly uncertainty with no clear path forward. A flashpoint has emerged at the CARACAL expert group, where proposed REACH updates would…

NIA Meeting Report on the ECHA Nanomaterial Expert Group 19

This report covers the 19th meeting of ECHA's Nanomaterial Expert Group, discussing updates on Technical Compliance Checks for key nanomaterials like TiO2, MWCNTs, and ZnO, along with regulatory implementation challenges under REACH.

NIA Meeting Report on the 25th MEETING OF THE WORKING PARTY ON MANUFACTURED NANOMATERIALS (OECD)

MXenes are emerging as a major regulatory blind spot, with critical data gaps on pulmonary toxicity, genotoxicity, and environmental fate, and serious questions about whether existing test methods can handle their unique properties at all.The long-awaited OECD guidance on sample preparation and dosimetry for nanomaterial safety testing has been approved for release, updating a framework last revised in 2012.3D printing is now on the OECD's radar as a nanomaterial exposure concern, with emissions of VOCs, particulates, and free radicals flagged as particular risks in consumer and educational settings.A new ring trial planned for 2026 will test whether a standardized bioaccumulation protocol for nanomaterials can hold up across multiple laboratories, a prerequisite for any future OECD test guideline.Six consumer exposure models have been put through practical case studies, revealing significant usability gaps and highlighting that no single tool works across all nanomaterial scenarios.

NIA Meeting Report on the CEN/TC 352 Nanotechnologies 37th meeting

The Safe-by-Design standard for nanomaterials has been put on hold, with progress now contingent on the European Commission's JRC updating its SSbD framework, expected by end of 2025.Two significant standards covering nanoobject characterization in food products and aggregation state determination are both advancing to formal vote, running from August 2025 through March 2026.Nanoplastics and 2D materials including graphene are emerging as new standardization targets, signaling where the next wave of technical work is headed.

NIA Meeting Report on the ECHA Nanomaterial Expert Group 20 08 November 2024, online

Grouping nanoforms under REACH remains deeply uncertain, with no agreed cut-off criteria and registrants left navigating a framework still under construction.Nanoalloys present a live regulatory gap: they likely qualify as nanomaterials under EU definitions but fall outside the current alloy definition, leaving duty holders without clear obligations.OCSiAl's lifecycle exposure data on its SWCNT product showed no detectable release above NIOSH limits across abrasion, recycling, and incineration scenarios, a notable data point for the industry.ECHA is commissioning new studies on surface-treated nanomaterials and nanomaterial flame retardants in consumer products, flagging these as the next priority knowledge gaps.Researchers tested ChatGPT for screening ecotoxicity study quality, with mixed results that raise questions about AI reliability in regulatory data assessment.

NIA Meeting Report on the ECHA Nanomaterial Expert Group 21

Synthetic amorphous silica has been officially classified as STOT RE 1 by RAC, a decision with direct compliance consequences for industries using SAS across food, cosmetics, and industrial applications.Nanoalloys sit in a regulatory vacuum under REACH, with no agreed definition and unresolved questions about whether they should be treated as alloys, mixtures, or something else entirely.Nearly 1,000 REACH registration dossiers now cover nanomaterials, but Germany's five-year review found data quality remains poor and evaluation timelines unworkably long.A new framework for determining nanoform "sameness" is being stress-tested through case studies, with the outcome set to shape how grouping and registration obligations work in practice.Detecting carbon-based nanomaterials like CNTs and graphene in real-world environmental and biological samples remains largely unsolved, with current methods falling short of the sensitivity regulators need.

NIA Meeting Report on the MEETING OF THE WORKING PARTY ON MANUFACTURED NANOMATERIALS (OECD)

The OECD is advancing a pipeline of over a dozen test guidelines and guidance documents for nanomaterials, with several due for approval in 2025 covering everything from toxicokinetics to intestinal fate after oral ingestion.Graphene is emerging as a priority focus, with urgent gaps identified in characterization parameters and existing test methods found to be inadequate for graphene-specific properties.No legally binding occupational exposure limits exist for nano-objects in any jurisdiction, and measurement instruments for workplace exposure show inconsistent results even across the same model, leaving a critical gap in worker protection.South Korea has proposed a new multi-year project to develop dedicated testing guidelines for nanoplastics, with completion targeted for 2029.AI is being explored as a tool to support exposure modelling for nanomaterials in occupational and environmental settings.

NIA Meeting Report on the Technology Council for Advanced Materials

The NIA has secured a seat on the European Commission's high-level Technology Council for Advanced Materials, giving the nanomaterials sector a direct voice in shaping EU strategy.Over €1.7 billion has been invested in advanced materials under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe combined, yet industry flagged persistent barriers including scarce venture capital, high energy costs, and fragmented regulations.The Commission is planning a new shared digital infrastructure for materials data under the 2025 Horizon Europe work programme, with IP protection and trust cited as make-or-break conditions for industry buy-in.NIA will push to join subgroups on both industrial uptake and future priorities, with SME needs and nanomaterials competitiveness at the top of its agenda.

NIA Meeting Report on the CEN/TC 352 Nanotechnologies, 19-21 March 2024

Three proposed new work items failed to gain enough country support to proceed, exposing a persistent participation gap in nanotechnology standardization.Graphene is emerging as a priority area, with multiple characterization standards in parallel development across CEN and ISO.Two analytical technologies from the NanoPAT project are being positioned as candidates for standardization, offering faster and more cost-efficient alternatives to existing nanoparticle characterization methods.

​​NIA Meeting Report​ on the CEN/TC 352 Nanotechnologies​, ​​8-10th October 2024

​​NIA Meeting Report​ on the CEN/TC 352 Nanotechnologies​ ​​8-10th October 2024​, CEN CENELEC By ​Blanca Suarez Merino, NIA Director of Regulatory Affairs​ NOTE: This document and all appended documents are confidential to registered NIA Members.

NanoHarmony White Paper on OECD Test Guideline development From Science to Regulation

OECD WPMN Expert Workshop on Graphene and Graphene Family Materials

On 26–27 November 2024, the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN), under the Steering Group on Advanced Materials (SG AdMa), organized a workshop focusing on graphene and graphene family materials. The event aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of these materials, addressing: Physico-chemical assessment Human and environmental toxicity Workshop Highlights Stakeholder Contributions Input was provided by regulatory agencies, standardization bodies, contract research…

NIA Report on the RAC-72 CLH WG

European regulators are moving toward a Category 1 repeated dose toxicity classification for all forms of synthetic amorphous silica via inhalation, a designation that carries significant compliance implications.Animal studies consistently showed lung inflammation and tissue damage at concentrations well below the threshold that normally triggers a Category 1 classification.The proposal covers all SAS types regardless of how they are manufactured, meaning pyrogenic, precipitated, colloidal, and gel forms are all in scope.Human workplace studies were too compromised by confounding factors to be used either way, leaving animal data to drive the classification outcome.