News outlets reported that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently proposed two new guidelines for the reviewing and use of nanomaterials in food products and cosmetics.
According to the director of the FDA’s Office of Food Additive Safety Dr. Dennis Keefe, the proposed guidelines are meant to cover “any manufacturing process change that might affect a food substance’s identity, intended uses, or the way it behaves in the body after it is eaten.”
Nanomaterials are submicroscopic, engineered particles that are being seen with increasing regularity in FDA-regulated products, such as food and cosmetics, to alter the way the products look or perform. These materials can make lotions smoother and give makeup a more natural look. However, there is some concern over how these submicroscopic particles can react with other ingredients within the body. Director of the FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors claimed, “Right now, we don’t have any information to make us believe that use of nanotechnology in cosmetics would cause a safety issue. We will continue to monitor cosmetic products, and if safety issues arise, we will follow up to make sue that the products are safe for consumer use.
These materials are being used more and more in food products to affect taste, texture and as preservatives. The various applications of nanotechnology in food products include combating bacteria, preventing spoilage and making the bioavailability of nutrients, the rate at which nutrients are absorbed by the body, more efficient.
Nanotechnology is even being researched by pharmaceutical companies that believe it will be effective in making certain drugs more effective; however the current draft guidelines do not cover FDA approval of medical applications. Director of the FDA’s Emerging Technology Programs Carlos Pena stated, “Nanotechnology is an emerging technology that has the potential to be used in a broad array of FDA-regulated medical products, foods, and cosmetics. But because materials on the nanoscale dimension may have different chemical, physical, or biological properties from their larger counterparts, FDA is monitoring the technology to assure such use is beneficial.”
As a Harrisburg personal injury attorney, I’m glad to see that research into the improvement of consumer products has continued to yield positive results and I look forward to future developments. If you’ve suffered an injury due to the normal use of a defective product, it could be in your interests to speak with a Lancaster personal injury attorney to discuss the legal avenues that could possibly be at your disposal.
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