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Most of the Nanomaterials that come into direct contact with consumers and workers are produced in  quantities exceeding 1 tonne per annum. The so called REACH regulations (relating to chemical hazards)  have a reporting threshold of 1 tonne. EC considers therefore, that most of the potential hazards presented by Nanomaterials will fall within the scope of REACH. They do acknowledge however, that substances can be registered in the non-nano-form without reference to there being any nano-form in production/sale. If, in the opinion of the producer, the nano-form is hazardous, and has not been included in registration of a bulk form of the same substance, then the REACH agency (ECHA) should be informed. They also consider that REACH should be modified to accommodate any new thinking on nanomaterial risk assessment: where current evaluations systems seem to be inadequate. EC will establish a web site with references to all relevant information sources, including registries on a national or

Dr Michael Maran, Chief Science Officer, Catlin, was recently welcomed to the Radar subscriber group as from 1st September 2012. Dr Andrew Auty, Director of Re: Liability (Oxford) Ltd, explained that the Radar service is growing in strength within the Lloyd’s market.   For more detail on the Radar service: http://www.reliabilityoxford.co.uk/radar/. Contact: andrew@reliabilityoxford.co.uk .

The author was asked to prepare an IMC lecture, to be presented in Cambridge. The lecture began with some good advice before moving on to examples of emerging risk: phosphates, carbon nanotubes, diesel exhausts and breast cancer. Subscribers to the Radar service can get the technical details on these topics; the good advice is summarised below. Change is continuous. The problem: Head office could spend all their time analysing changes in exposure. In practice, trigger levels are used to reduce wasted effort. These thresholds filter out the noise, result – only the big changes are to be evaluated and re-judged. If the portfolio is big enough the net effect of small changes, may average out. Sounds good, but the human response to this approach is always to make sure that any estimate of change comes to just below the trigger level.  Moving exposure out of the reckoning is not good practice, but may be convenient both in terms of apparent competitiveness and gives increased confiden

Nano fibres were injected into the pleural cavity of lab mice. Fibre length was a key factor in determining the strength of inflammatory reaction. Given the short time-scale, the full biological significance of this length dependence was not determined. However, the same pattern of length dependence was found for different fibre compositions, including long vs short asbestos fibres. The researchers provide a consistent explanation, which, unlike more orthodox explanations, gives rise to the possibility that there is a lower bound to the risk of mesothelioma. It is highly unlikely that this model will be universally welcomed; but offers an opportunity for defence. Evidence from:  A Schinwald et al. Toxicol. Sci. (2012) Vol.128 (2) p 461-470 The Threshold Length for Fiber-Induced Acute Pleural Inflammation: Shedding Light on the Early Events in Asbestos-Induced Mesothelioma The research, and its potential for safety specifications and for defence of mesothelioma claims will be discussed

Two years since the consultation closed, the Government has announced new measures to ensure that more people are compensated for occupational mesothelioma. Essentially the problem is that the latency of this disease is so long that records of insurances are often lost by the time the victim realises they could make a claim and the employer long since gone out of business.  As a result, those with potentially good claims for compensation are denied access to justice. The proposed solution is an Employers’  Liability Insurance Bureau (ELIB), providing a mechanism for funding good claims where the insurance policy cannot be traced. Funding would be generated by imposing a levy on current EL insurers. Evidence from: DWP (2012) ISBN 978-1-78153-071-9 Accessing compensation – Supporting people who need to trace Employers’ Liability Insurance: Government response to consultation – July 2012 The DWP report makes no attempt to quantify the number of ca

Alex Hindson, Head of Group Risk, Amlin plc, has confirmed that Amlin will take up the Radar service from 1st September 2012. Dr Andrew Auty, Director of Re: Liability (Oxford) Ltd describes the Radar service as an essential complement to all systems of liability risk management. The Radar service informs insurance decision-makers about emerging liability risks. Changes in science, technology and law are assessed for their probable effect on liability exposure. Priority is given to any change which is likely to be larger than that predicted by experience trends or,  to lead to a completely new exposure. The aim is to provide quantitative information with which to evaluate timing, size and uncertainty of change and to provide a narrative which will aid the formation of good judgment.  Radar also supplies tactical information on well known issues e.g. vibration white finger, substantial contribution, contamination etc. This leads to possible new defences or better loss control options fo