VZCZCXYZ0002
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVI #1279/01 2801516
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071516Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3405
INFO RUEHSS/OECD POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC 1257
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEAEPA/EPA WASHDC

UNCLAS VIENNA 001279 
 
SIPDIS 
 
OES/SAT FOR HODGKINS 
PASS USTR 
PASS OMB FOR BECK 
USDA FOR FAS/OSTA/FROGGETT 
USEU FOR GARRAMONE 
PARIS FOR OECD / LEWIS 
HHS FOR FDA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TSPL TPHY TBIO ETRD EAGR AT EU
SUBJECT: Readout of OECD Nanotechnology Roundtable in Vienna 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: A key theme at the OECD Roundtable on "Risk Governance 
Policy for Nanotechnology" in Vienna September 25 was that public 
perception of risk -- even in the absence of good data -- is 
becoming a driving force in nanotechnology regulation in some OECD 
states.  Delegates advised breaking out of the catch-all term 
"nanotechnology' since the various forms of nanotechnology present 
very different industrial, regulatory, and public outreach 
requirements.  END SUMMARY. 
 
Moving the Public Debate Upstream 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶2. The OECD Roundtable on the "Risk overnance of Nanotechnology" 
September 25 was hoted by the Austrian Government and attended by 
4 regulators, risk assessment experts from governmet and academia, 
and a smattering of industry reprsentatives rom 15 countries.  The 
roundtable foused on three issues: 
--  From Risk Assessment T Risk Management 
--  Stakeholder Participation--  Voluntary Measure For Risk Management 
 
NOTE: he U.S. delegation included Vivian Ota Wang (National 
Nanotechnology Initiative), Carlos Pena (HHS/FDA), and Robert Ford 
(State/OES). 
 
¶3. Swiss and British representatives described how those two 
governments had used consultation groups to assess public sentiments 
on nanotechnology.  Sergio Bellocci from the Swiss Center for 
Technology Assessment reported how an eight-day public debate 
exercise with 30 randomly selected citizens resulted in a 2006 
report that later became part of a parliamentary debate on the 
future of nanotechnology.  Bellocci posited that early 
identification of public hopes and fears is fundamental to the 
successful governance of a new technology.  Swiss representatives 
strongly endorsed food and food packaging regulations, to include 
full disclosure of nano-ingredients and nano-materials;  Bellocci 
opined that the Swiss food industry has resisted involvement in the 
nano-governance dialogue. 
 
¶4. By contrast, Joyce Tait from Edinburgh University argued that 
"upstream" public engagement could lead to premature policy 
decisions.  As an example, she described how a series of public 
workshops in the UK on the benefits and risks of nanotechnologies 
led to cuts in research funding for the field of "Theranostics" 
(wherein nano-devices are inserted into patients to read their 
chemical levels and provide automatic adjustments).  She emphasized 
that nanotechnology governance at the basic research level should be 
flexible and voluntary, and should avoid constraining future 
innovation.  French delegate Francoise Roure (CGTI)said public 
perception is also affecting the R&D choices being made by private 
sector companies. 
 
Defining Nanotechnology for Regulation 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶5. The problem of defining "nanotechnology" was a recurring issue at 
the OECD Roundtable, and at Austrian Academy of Science's September 
24 conference on the "Possible Health Effects of Manufactured 
Nanomaterials."  Several participants criticized as impractical the 
International Risk Governance Council's grouping of nanotechnologies 
into "Frame 1" (simpler nanostructures with more known risks) and 
"Frame 2" (complex, dynamic nanostructures of unknown, but possibly 
greater risk).  EC experts Hermann Stamm (JRC) and Mat-Olof Mattsson 
(DG SANCO) posited an alternative grouping of nanoparticles by their 
size, specific surface areas, and chemical reactivity 
characteristics as more sensible from a risk/regulatory perspective 
-- but said that more data is available, regulators should take a 
case-by-case approach. 
 
Getting Industry into the Game 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶6. Discussions at both events reflected experts' frustration with 
both the lack of risk data and the level of participation so far 
from industry in the governance process.  George Katalagarianakis 
(DG Research) speculated that in the area of nano-medicine, this 
reluctance stemmed from either an industry belief that company data 
would be misused in regulation or an effort to protect intellectual 
property rights from competitors.  Data access problems 
notwithstanding, delegates portrayed the biomedical and textile 
industries as more willing to participate in governance than the 
food industry. 
¶7. Terry Medley (DuPont/USA) presented DuPont's voluntary risk 
framework, arguing that government regulation lacks sufficient 
information at this point and is too slow, lagging years behind 
technological innovation in industry.  For Medley, regulatory lags 
argue for a voluntary approach to nanotechnology whereby companies 
self-evaluate nano-risks in a formal process and on an ongoing 
basis. 
 
¶8. NOTE: the OECD Working Party on Nanotechnology (of which the 
Policy Roundtable is a subgroup) was established in 2007 and meets 
twice yearly to discuss emerging policy issues in science, 
technology and innovation related to the responsible development and 
use of nanotechnology.  Post understands that the next meeting will 
be held November 30-December 2 in Paris; presentations are typically 
available at www.oecd.org/sti/nano. 
 
¶9. COMMENT: European regulators at the workshop expect some negative 
public reactions to nano-foods/cosmetics and possibly nano-packaging 
-- but said any notion of informing or reassuring consumers via 
labeling may be stymied by industry reticence.  As one Austrian 
official complained, without industry cooperation (for instance, to 
self-identify nanotechnology materials and ingredients), labeling is 
difficult to imagine at this point.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶10. This cable was coordinated with FAS Berlin. 
 
EACHO