Monday, March 8, 2021
On March 5, 2021, the European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) published its final opinion on copper (nano) and colloidal copper (nano). According to the final opinion, nine manufacturers notified the EC about 36 different products containing nanosized copper. After initial evaluation and a request for additional information, two manufacturers withdrew their products from the notification, and these seven products were excluded from evaluation, resulting in the final evaluation of 29 nanosized copper products produced by seven manufacturers. For three different copper nanomaterials, notification files were provided. The final opinion states that for all three copper nanomaterials, “the notified files were insufficient regarding their characterisation and for conducting a safety evaluation.” All copper nanomaterials claimed to have antimicrobial activity. Most files contained declarations of safety without any supporting data or documentation, however, and based on the provided information, the final opinion states that it is not possible to perform a safety assessment on them.