LUXEMBOURG — OCSiAl is now able to commercialize up to 100 tonnes annually of its TUBALL™ single wall carbon nanotubes in Europe as the company has upgraded its dossier under the EU’s REACH legislation and is now additionally compliant with the new Annexes on nanoforms. This step allows OCSiAl to boost its presence in the region and to meet the growing market demand for industrial volumes of graphene nanotubes. The company’s current portfolio includes over 1,600 customers worldwide, with China and Europe as the two most rapidly expanding markets for nanotube applications.   

OCSiAl is helping to improve the accessibility of information on the nature of graphene nanotubes and to form the principles of their safe handling; the company has so far initiated 16 studies in these fields, including those required by the revised REACH annex. TUBALL nanotubes demonstrate no skin irritation, corrosion or sensitization, no mutagenic effect, and no adverse effect on reproductive toxicity. In addition, ecotoxicity studies have shown no toxic effect on Daphnia or algae. The typical exposure values of respirable fraction of TUBALL in the workplace is much less than 5% of the Recommended Exposure Limits (REL) as per NIOSH in the United States, which is of practical importance for manufacturers working with nanotubes. The studies have shown that no TUBALL nanotubes are released during utilization of products made with nanoaugmented materials.