Certainty on the potential harm from nanotechnology is still some years away. There are no immediate plans to define new statutory duties but there are plans to produce good practice guidance; which could be influential in civil cases. The government is hoping that information provided by industry will help define regulatory and guidance needs. Information is to be provided on a voluntary basis.
Evidence from:
DEFRA March 2006 and August 2006.
“Consultation on a proposed ‘Voluntary Reporting Scheme’ for engineered nanoscale materials”
Clearly, if DEFRA are short of information, regulatory activity will be delayed. This give nano-research development and deployment work a period of grace in which to operate within existing rules. Our view is that these rules are not adequate.
Further detail: