Do nanomaterials have to be regulated separately in BASF’s point of view?
REACH is the suitable political instrument for regulating nanomaterials, a view which is supported by a broad political consensus. All substances are covered by REACH regardless of their physical state (e.g. particle size). On registration, all applications, including those in the nanoscale range, must be included and relevant data submitted. One issue that has not been settled so far is, for instance, whether the existing test systems are suitable for risk assessment purposes. This will have to be decided on the basis of the safety research results. We are therefore cooperating closely with political decision makers and authorities and are involved in the OECD process. Many critics also complain that the majority of nanomaterials only need to be registered at a very late stage. In this transitional period, we trust in the industry’s sense of self-responsibility. For this purpose we have introduced our Nanotechnology Code of Conduct. The code is based on our Values and Principles and i
