Nanosys First to Achieve EPA Approval for Mass Production of Quantum Dots
June 1, 2015
3 min read
Milpitas, CA, June 1, 2015 – Nanosys, the leader in Quantum Dot technology being used to achieve the highest color gamut and greatly improved energy efficiency for displays, today announced that it has become the first and only Quantum Dot manufacturer to complete the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) New Chemicals Program review process for its Quantum Dot materials and components. This approval enables the company to immediately continue its production scale up of Quantum Dots at its state-of-the-art nanomaterials fab in Silicon Valley, California. This flexible facility is able to produce over 25 tons of Cadmium-free or Cadmium-based Quantum Dot materials per year with Nanosys’ new high volume, automated manufacturing process.
Until now, all Quantum Dot manufacturers in the US have manufactured materials under the EPA’s Low Volume Exemption (LVE) rule. This rule was designed to enable pilot manufacturing of new materials under certain conditions with strict controls from the EPA. With this significant production milestone Nanosys becomes the only Quantum Dot manufacturer with EPA approval to manufacture or import more than 10,000 kilograms of Quantum Dots in the US.
“After the conclusion of a comprehensive environmental risk analysis process, the EPA has given Nanosys the green light to continue ramping its manufacture of Quantum Dots on a full commercial scale,” said Jason Hartlove, CEO of Nanosys. “This further establishes Nanosys’ leadership position in the industry and is another significant milestone in strengthening the supply chain and facilitating further adoption of Quantum Dot technology for displays.”
About Nanosys Quantum Dots
Already in use in millions of tablets and laptop computers worldwide, Nanosys Quantum Dots were widely displayed at CES 2015 with product demonstrations from UHD television makers including Hisense, TCL and Changhong. No other technology offers the same accurate coverage of rec.2020 or battery-saving power efficiency, the new Ultra High Definition (UHD) television broadcast standard for color. Look for Nanosys Quantum Dots in next generation UHD televisions in the second half of 2015.
About the EPA’s New Chemicals Review Process
EPA’s New Chemicals Program is designed to minimize potential risks to human health and the environment from new chemicals sold on the market. Anyone who plans to manufacture or import a new chemical for commercial purposes is required, under section 5 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), to provide the EPA with advance notice before beginning the activity.
The EPA New Chemical review process starts with a Premanufacture Notice, or PMN, which must be submitted at least 90 days prior to the manufacture or import of the chemical. Upon submission of a PMN the EPA conducts a thorough review of the chemical to determine if it poses any unreasonable risk and whether or how that risk may be controlled. EPA toxicologists, chemists, biochemists, engineers, and experts in other disciplines work together to conduct a thorough review, predicting the potential risks to humans or the environment from each new substance.
If no unreasonable risks are found during the EPA’s evaluation, the company may submit a Notice of Commencement (NOC) to list their chemical with the EPA and begin manufacturing. Nanosys submitted a Notice of Commencement (NOC) to the EPA on May 28, 2015, which formally established Nanosys Quantum Dots as an Existing Chemical, listed under EPA guidelines.
Learn more about the EPA’s PMN process by visiting the EPA website: www.epa.gov