Future-proof approaches for risk governance of nanomaterials
Nanotechnology – the production and application of chemical and biological devices at scales ranging from individual atoms or molecules to around 100 nanometres – is bringing benefits to numerous industries in addressing societal challenges. Nanocomposite coatings for example are improving food safety through integrating antimicrobial agents directly onto packaging surfaces. And in medicine, nanoparticles are being used to better target therapeutics to affected organs and tissues, thereby circumventing adverse effects.
Concern about nanotech oversight
There are concerns however that the proliferation of nanotechnology has not been sufficiently overseen and regulated in a timely manner. “From a risk governance perspective, it has become a challenge to accommodate this technology correctly and uniformly across all sectors,” notes Gov4Nano project coordinator Monique Groenewold from the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands. “A lack of harmonised research practices and standardised test methods for nanomaterials has also brought uncertainty.”
Sustainable risk governance mechanisms
Gov4Nano identified and established several key elements that were deemed essential to achieve coordinated risk governance of nanomaterials. The project collaborated intensively with fellow EU-funded projects NANORIGO and RiskGONE to achieve this. Key objectives included ensuring that quality data on safety of nanomaterials and their applications could be easily shared and reused. The project team gained knowledge to develop harmonised test guidelines for characterising and testing nanomaterials, establish a Nano Risk Governance portal and provide a roadmap for setting up an organisation for Nano Risk Governance. “We wanted to create the conditions to coordinate and harmonise international efforts on safe and sustainable nano-related products,” says Groenewold. “We also wanted to develop tools to monitor the progress on implementing risk governance for these materials across sectors such as chemicals, cosmetics, food and medicine.”
Data management, standardisation and new tools
To improve data management, the GO FAIR Implementation Network was launched to support the implementation of FAIR principles in databases that collect information on physicochemical characteristics, release and exposure, toxicity and functionality. FAIR (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reuse of digital assets) principles emphasise the capacity of computational systems to find, access, interoperate and reuse data. “This has been successfully launched, with 28 members from the EU, Argentina and South Korea,” adds Groenewold. “New projects have already reused existing data through the network.” The project team also made advances in standardising guidance for characterising and testing nanomaterials. The knowledge gathered will feed into seven OECD Test Guidelines for nanomaterials, relating to issues such as nanomaterial solubility and bioaccumulation. The project team also developed a web-based NanoSafety Governance Portal (NSGP). The portal gives access to governance tools such as human and environmental risk assessment databases, as well as various technical and procedural guidance. Finally, the architecture of an organisation for Nano Risk Governance was developed and tested. “The idea of a ‘House of Nano Risk Governance’, with round tables on emerging topics, is based on the need to engage and coordinate stakeholders to overcome the fragmentation of existing knowledge and information,” says Groenewold. “The effectiveness of a ‘House of Nano Risk Governance’ was proven through the successful co-creation of regulatory research roadmaps and governance briefs dealing with emerging issues. In this way, the foundations have been laid to create an organisation that can support the Commission in its drive for effective risk governance of nanomaterials and chemicals.”
Keywords
Gov4Nano, nanotech, nanomaterials, chemical, biological, nanometres, atoms
