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Nano-Safety or Nano-Security? Reassessing Europe's Nanotechnology Regulation in the Context of International Security Law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Hitoshi Nasu  and
Thomas Faunce
Hitoshi Nasu
Affiliation:
Australian National University (ANU) College of Law, contact:
Thomas Faunce
Affiliation:
ANU College of Law and ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, contact:
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Type
Reports
Information
European Journal of Risk Regulation , Volume 3 , Issue 3 , September 2012 , pp. 416 - 421
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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References

1 OJ C-325 (24 December 2002), Articles 152, 153 and 174. As of 6 May 2012, these provisions have been incorporated into the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, OJ C-83/47 (30 March 2010), Articles 168, 169 and 191.

2 European Commission, “Towards a European Strategy for Nanotechnology: Communication from the Commission”, 2004, p. 5, available on the internet at <http://ec.europa.eu/nanotechnology/pdf/nano_com_en.pdf> (last accessed on 16 July 2012).

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5 OJ L 317/3.

6 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction, 10 April 1972, in force 26 March 1975, 1015 United Nations Treaty Series (1976), pp.163 et sqq. (hereinafter Biological Weapons Convention), Article X.

7 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 9 May 1992, in force 21 March 1994, 1771 United Nations Treaty Series (1994), pp.107 et sqq., Article 4(3).

8 Energy Charter Treaty, 17 December 1994, in force 16 April 1998, 2080 United Nations Treaty Series (1999), pp.100 et sqq.

9 Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, 10 September 1998, in force 24 February 2004, 2244 United Nations Treaty Series (2004), pp.337 et sqq., Article 16.

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11 Naoto Kan, “Former Japanese PM Naoto Kan on the Fukushima Disaster: A Changing View of Nuclear Power”, Foreign Affairs, 8 March 2012, available on the internet at <http://www.foreignaffairs.com/features/letters-from/former-japanese-pm-naoto-kan-onthe-fukushima-disaster> (last accessed on 12 July 2012).

12 “Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons”, Advisory Opinion, 8 July 1996, ICJ Reports (1996), pp.226 et sqq., at p. 242, para. 29.

13 35 American Journal of International Law (1941), at 716.

14 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 10 December 1982, in force 16 November 1994, 1833 United Nations Treaty Series, pp.397 et sqq, Articles 192–5; Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, 29 December 1972, in force 30 August 1975, 1046 United Nations Treaty Series, pp.120 et sqq., and its Protocol, 8 November 1996, in force 24 March 2006, 36 International Legal Materials, pp.1 et sqq.

15 Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, 4 October 1991, in force 14 January 1998, 30 International Legal Materials, pp.1461 et sqq.

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17 Biological Weapons Convention, supra note 6; Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, 13 January 1993, in force 29 April 1997, 1974 United Nations Treaty Series (1997), pp.45 et sqq.

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20 P7_TC2-COD(2008)0028, adopted at second reading on 6 July 2011. The amended regulation is not in force due to refusal by the European Union Council.

21 Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the Making Available on the Market and Use of Biocidal Products, PE-CONS 3/12 (effective from 1 September 2013), Art. 4(4).

22 Eisenberger, Iris, Nentwich, Michael, Fiedeler, Ulrich, et al., “Nano Regulation in the European Union”, 17 Nano Trust-Dossiers (2010), pp.1 et sqq., at p. 3Google Scholar. The Commission launched a comprehensive REACH Implementation Project on Nanomaterials in 2009, which has been providing reports on technical aspects of the implementation of REACH. Also, in cooperation with the CARACAL Group on Nanomaterials (CASG Nano, composed of member states and stakeholder experts) the Commission has discussed how the provisions of REACH apply to nanomaterials and what issues need to be addressed. See, European Commisison, “Nnaomaterials”, available on the internet at <http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/nanotech/index.htm#ripon> (last accessed on 16 July 2012).

23 Nasu, Hitoshi and Faunce, Tom, “The Proposed Ban on Certain Nanomaterials for Electrical and Electronic Equipment in Europe and Its Global Security Implications: A Search for an Alternative Regulatory Approach”, 2(3) European Journal of Law and Technology (2011), available on the internet at <http://ejlt.org//article/view/79> (last accessed on 12 July 2012)Google Scholar.

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27 Brar, Satinder K, Verna, Mausam, Tryagi, R.D. and Surampalli, R.Y., “Engineered Nanoparticles in Wastewater and Wastewater Sludge – Evidence and Impacts”, 30 Waste Management (2010), pp.504 et sqq CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed.; Gottschalk, Fadri and Nowack, Bernd, “The Release of Engineered Nanomaterials to the Environment”, 13 Journal of Environmental Monitoring (2011), pp.1145 et sqq., at pp.1145–1146CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed.

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29 Bystrzejewska-Piotrawska, Grazyna, Golimowski, Jerzy and Urban, Pawel L., “Nanoparticles: Their Potential Toxicity, Waste and Environmental Management”, 29 Waste Management (2009), pp. 2587 et sqq., at p.2592CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

30 Directive 2002/96/EC.

31 European Parliament, Debate on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, 3 February 2011, CRE 03/02/2011–5.

32 P7_TC2-COD(2008)0241, para. 18.

33 Homer-Dixon, Thomas F, Environment, Scarcity, and Violence (1999), at pp.133–168 Google Scholar; Gleick, Peter H, “Environment and Security: The Clear Connections”, 47(3) The Bulletin of Atomic Science (1991), pp.17 et sqq., at pp. 19–20Google Scholar; Ullman, Richard H, “Redefining Security”, 8 International Security (1983), pp.129 et sqq., at pp.139–146CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

34 Faunce, Thomas, “Future Perspectives on Solar Fuels”, in Wydrzynski, Tom, Hillier, Warwick, Peter, Laurie, Schuth, Ferdi and Zhao, Tim S. (eds), Molecular Solar Fuels: RSC Energy and Environment Series (London: Royal Society of Chemistry, 2012), pp.506 et sqq Google Scholar.

35 Savage, Nora, Diallo, Mamadou, Duncan, Jeremiah, et al. (eds), Nanotechnology Applications for Clean Water (New York: William Andrew, 2009)Google Scholar; Hillie, Thembela and Holphe, Mbhuti, “Nanotechnology and the Challenge of Clean Water”, 2 Nature Nanotechnology (2007), p. 663 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed.

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