Environmental, Safety, and Health Issues for Nanotechnology

• Recommendations for Nanotechnology ESH Research (PDF 83 KB)
• This working group has recommended specific R&D directions to NNI within the following broad areas:
• Survey and address issues related to protective equipment, monitoring, and analysis for nano research and manufacturing
• Develop and evaluate exposure monitoring methodologies
• Determine adequacy of available air pollution control techniques
• Consider methods for evaluating nanoparticle solubility and in vitro aggregation/agglomeration
• Assess effectiveness of communicating hazards
• Investigate basic issues of toxicity
• Develop preliminary hazard assessment tool for nanotechnology
• Recommended R&D directions to EPA and NNI in three areas: toxicity of nanomaterials; measurement and detection of nanomaterials; worker protection and industrial hygiene.
• Collected and evaluated ESH-related literature for nanomaterials. Developed searchable database of nano-toxicity data that is maintained by Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN) and ICON/Rice University (database of ESH literature and data). Read press release.
• Met with leaders from NIEHS, NTP, EPA, NIOSH, NSET, CBEN, Semiconductor Research Corporate, and ANSI-Nanotechnology Standards Panel.

Leads: Emory Ford (MTI) and Barbara Karn (EPA)

Participants from: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., American Chemistry Council, Ciba Specialty Chemicals Corporation, Dow Chemical Company, E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company, Inc., Intel Corporation, Materials Technology Institute, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Science Foundation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Praxair, Inc., Rohm and Haas Company, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. International Trade Commission.

For more information, read Recommended Topics for R&D Activities: Toxicological Hazard Assessment of Nanomaterials (PDF 165 KB).

Jack Solomon
Vision2020 Steering Committee, Chair
(914) 309-3904
jacksolomon1@gmail.com