Engineered Nanoparticles in Consumer Products: Understanding a New Ingredient

In October 2010, the National Organic Standards Board recommended the engineered nanoparticles be prohibited from food products bearing the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Organic label. The proposal met with little resistance. Nanotechnology-enabled products are continuing to come onto the market, and some advocacy groups fear that there is a distinct lack of public awareness of this fact, as well as the safety questions current still left unanswered about these products' protential to cause unknown health and environmental risks. Currently manufactured are not required to report the use of engineered nanomaterials in consumer products except for single and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, a requirement that came into effect in September of 2010. Meanwhile, there seems to be a trend of manufacturers dropping voluntary references to nanoparticles on their ingredient list, and the difficulty of testing nanomaterials, some are advocating for a precautionary approach when moving forward in this field.