20/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - Definition of nanomaterial for consumer safety - a long way to go. This is how ANEC, the voice of the consumers on European standardisation, feels. Although ANEC welcomes the fact that the Commission had, in a recommendation, given a regulatory definition of nanomaterial based on the number of constituent particles (see EUROPE 10476), it states it is dismayed to note that the 1% threshold of the particle number size distribution, recommended by many scientific opinions for the distribution of particles between 1nm and 100 nm, has been discarded in favour of a 50% threshold, despite a lack of scientific justification. ANEC understands the change was made to reflect opposition expressed during the public consultation phase to the lower threshold, especially from industry. It fears that, in practice, this will allow a large number of products to escape regulation. (AN/transl.jl)