Nanomaterial consumer products and FDA regulation : regulatory challenges and necessary amendments

Though a large number of nanotechnology products have are now available for consumers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has, as of November 2006, has taken no action to account for the fundamentally different properties and possible associated risks of their nanomaterial ingredients. The author first evaluates the FDA's current stance on engineered nanoparticles, and then discusses the recent legal petition filed by his organization, the International Center for Technology Assessment, and others calling the FDA to amend its regulations to address the potential environmental and human health risks association with nanomaterial products.