EPA Sued For Its Conditional Approval Of Nanotechnology Pesticide

By: The International Center for Technology Assessment and the Center for Food Safety filed a joint lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on July 27 challenging the agency’s conditional approval of the antimicrobial pesticide product called, “Nanosilva.” The pesticide under scrutiny, which will be used in textiles and plastics, employs nanotechnology that breaks down silver into particles more than 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Conventional silver has been used as an antibacterial products for centuries, as it releases ions that are deadly for many bacteria and fungi. However, watchdog groups and scientists are increasingly concerned about the growing number of consumer products that contain nanoparticles that could pose unique hazards and long-term risks. Unless regulations are imposed, nanoparticles of silver, that combat stains and odors, may soon be embedded in children’s toys, clothing, plastics and fabrics.

The lawsuit filed against the EPA in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals seeks to block the sale of the Nanosilva pesticide in the marketplace without the legally required analysis of the product’s effect on human health, wildlife and the environment. EPA’s conditional approval of Nanosilva means that the pesticide can be sold over the next four years while the manufacturer, Nanosilva LLC of Georgia, performs the required testing.

Between The Lines’ Scott Harris spoke with Jaydee Hanson, policy director with the International Center for Technology Assessment, who discusses his group’s lawsuit against the EPA and the health and safety concerns surrounding nanotechnology.

For more information visit International Center for Technology Assessment at icta.org.

Related Links:

• “Groups Sue EPA over Faulty Approval of Nanotechnology Pesticide,” Center For Food Safety, July 27, 2015

• “Nano-Silver in Food and Food Contact Products,” Center For Food Safety, Dec. 15, 2014

• “EPA’s fast-track approval process for pesticides raises health concerns,” Center for Investigative Reporting, Jan. 15, 2014

• “EPA sued over approval of nanotechnology product,” Reuters, July 29, 2015

• “Pesticides just got a whole lot smaller. Is that a good thing?,” Grist, Jan. 22, 2015

• “Scientists call fast-track approval of nano silver needless, dangerous,” Sacramento News & Review, Jan. 23, 2014

• “Uncertainties over nanosilver safety persist, says French agency,” Chemical Watch, March 19, 2015