A group of six scientists and a government official are facing six years in jail for manslaughter after providing “an incomplete, inept, unsuitable and criminally mistaken” assessment of risks posed by what turned out to be the devastating L’Aquila earthquake. They had met  a few days before the damaging quake and ruled that it was impossible to determine whether the (recent small) tremors would be followed soon by a large quake. The prosecutor Mr Picuti told the court that the defendants had provided “an incomplete, inept, unsuitable and criminally mistaken” analysis which gave the residents of L’Aquila a false sense of security. Evidence from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9626075/LAquila-earthquake-scientists-sentenced-to-six-years-in-jail.html Comment Various comments suggest that given the data and relevant theories  the inconclusive finding of the committee was among the range of opinions that could have been reasonably formed. It is suggested that the fa

Most of the Nanomaterials that come into direct contact with consumers and workers are produced in  quantities exceeding 1 tonne per annum. The so called REACH regulations (relating to chemical hazards)  have a reporting threshold of 1 tonne. EC considers therefore, that most of the potential hazards presented by Nanomaterials will fall within the scope of REACH. They do acknowledge however, that substances can be registered in the non-nano-form without reference to there being any nano-form in production/sale. If, in the opinion of the producer, the nano-form is hazardous, and has not been included in registration of a bulk form of the same substance, then the REACH agency (ECHA) should be informed. They also consider that REACH should be modified to accommodate any new thinking on nanomaterial risk assessment: where current evaluations systems seem to be inadequate. EC will establish a web site with references to all relevant information sources, including registries on a national or