Title : Road to registration – Nanosilver -10 years later
Abstract:
The Silver Nanotechnology Working Group (SNWG) (2009-2019) was a small group of companies with interests in using nanosilver in products. The team consisted of an interesting cross-section of toxicologists, advanced material scientists, chemists, and other silver and nanosilver specialists. In 2008, Servicios Administrativos Peñoles, S.A. de C.V., approached the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) to register a new nanosilver product. They were told at the time that there was a moratorium on registrations for nanosilver products. Some nanosilver products had already been registered, but because of new environmental concerns, registrations were on hold. Both the Silver Institute and Peñoles decided that it would be best to form a group to try to work with EPA OPP to overcome this registration moratorium. Dr. Rosalind Volpe, D.PH whose background is in environmental health and metal toxicology was hired to head the Silver Nanotechnology Working Group which at the time was a project of the Silver Research Consortium, LLC. Over a four month period at the end of 2008, Dr. Volpe began to recruit companies interested in working to clear a path for registration of nanosilver products.The Silver Nanotechnology Working Group (SNWG) was formed in January 2009 with six members. Twelve years after the founding of SNWG and its push to overcome many regulatory hurdles, and with the help of the EPA and other nanosilver companies, there now appears to be a relatively clear registration path for nanosilver products in the US that will be finally completed at the end of the registration review in mid- 2022.
Audience take-away:
- The audience will understand the difficulties that can occur in bringing a nanotechnology product to full registration with the EPA.
- The audience can learn how to avoid some of the difficulties that faced the nanosilver industry in getting their products registered with the EPA.
