Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) monitoring, and (2) mitigation, strategies they have put in place for environmental pollution by (a) metal nanoparticles, and (b) the bacteria resistant to these antimicrobial metal nanoparticles.

Whilst the Environment Agency (EA) does not have environmental monitoring in place specifically targeting metal nanoparticles, it is keeping a watching brief on innovative monitoring approaches and environmental effects. Although the science associated with environmental analysis for nanoparticles (and their associated effects) is in development, the EA has considered a number of nanoparticles through its Prioritisation and Early Warning System (PEWS). To date, the EA has considered titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, cerium dioxide, copper oxide and copper carbonate nanoparticles through PEWS.