Confidential documents obtained under Freedom of Information reveal that the Federal Government does not support labelling of nanomaterials for informed choice.

In what may be a world first, Australia’s national sunscreens regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, has ordered a sunscreen company to stop advertising its product as "not nano". The co-regulatory body of the TGA is not alleging that the label is misleading (ie that the product contains nanoparticles) but rather that advertising as "not nano" could cause "fear or distress" to consumers, and is therefore in breach of the advertising code. That is, the TGA is saying that labelling as "not nano" is illegal.

Standards Australia’s new proposal to let companies raise SPF ratings from 30+ to 50+ has been greeted with controversy. The Cancer Council has expressed concern that although extra sun protection offered will be minimal (1.3%), the much higher rating could give people a false sense of sun protection. We are also concerned that, as reported in 13 July’s 6.30 with George Negus, the new proposals ignore the need to label nano-ingredients.