Joint JRC-EASAC Report "Impact of engineered nanomaterials on health: considerations for benefit-risk assessment"
18 October 2011
Austria
The term ‘nanotechnology’ covers a very broad range of entities and industrial applications. It is expected that many of the applications will help to improve human health and quality of life. The medical application of nanotechnology is probably one of the fastest growing fields, with developments in therapeutic, diagnostic and imaging uses (e.g. in cancer).
The joint JRC-EASAC Report (downloadable from http://ihcp.jrc.ec.europa.eu/our_activities/nanotechnology/joint-jrc-easac-report-impact-of-engineered-nanomaterials-on-health(opens in new window)) focuses on key principles and issues, crossreferencing other sources for detailed information, rather than attempting a comprehensive account of the science. The focus is on human health although environmental effects are also discussed when directly relevant to human health.
Although several studies have examined the effect of environmental nanoparticles, for example from combustion processes, on human health, there is as yet no generally acceptable paradigm for safety assessment of nanomaterials in consumer and other products. Therefore, a working group was established to consider issues for the possible impact of nanomaterials on human health focussing specifically on engineered nanomaterials. This represents the first joint initiative between EASAC (the European Academies Sciences Advisory Council) and the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC). The working group was given the remit to describe the state of the art of benefits and potential risks, current methods for safety assessment, and to evaluate their relevance, identify knowledge gaps in studying the safety of currently used nanomaterials, and recommend priorities for nanomaterial research and the regulatory framework.
In their conclusions, the authors of this Report highlight that the scientific community has a continuing responsibility to advise the European Commission and European Parliament about the opportunities now coming within range. It is often difficult to estimate the timeframe for the development of specific engineered nanomaterials and their launch as novel products. Therefore, it is vitally important to create the appropriate supportive environment for innovation and flexibility in risk management (e.g. mandatory product register, labelling) to prepare for the envisaged longer term as well as for the shorter term encompassing the current and next generation of products. To this end, it is essential to invest in the science of safety assessment while, at the same time, seeking to expedite the regulatory review of the products emerging from that science. The stringency of the controls should match the potential of exposure.
The authors reiterate that there is only a limited amount of scientific evidence to suggest that nanomaterials present a risk for human health; they advise that the principles of risk assessment procedures should conform to the same procedures as any other new material, paying due respect to new phenomena that may occur due to new properties related to the nanoscale.
The joint JRC-EASAC Report (downloadable from http://ihcp.jrc.ec.europa.eu/our_activities/nanotechnology/joint-jrc-easac-report-impact-of-engineered-nanomaterials-on-health(opens in new window)) focuses on key principles and issues, crossreferencing other sources for detailed information, rather than attempting a comprehensive account of the science. The focus is on human health although environmental effects are also discussed when directly relevant to human health.
Although several studies have examined the effect of environmental nanoparticles, for example from combustion processes, on human health, there is as yet no generally acceptable paradigm for safety assessment of nanomaterials in consumer and other products. Therefore, a working group was established to consider issues for the possible impact of nanomaterials on human health focussing specifically on engineered nanomaterials. This represents the first joint initiative between EASAC (the European Academies Sciences Advisory Council) and the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC). The working group was given the remit to describe the state of the art of benefits and potential risks, current methods for safety assessment, and to evaluate their relevance, identify knowledge gaps in studying the safety of currently used nanomaterials, and recommend priorities for nanomaterial research and the regulatory framework.
In their conclusions, the authors of this Report highlight that the scientific community has a continuing responsibility to advise the European Commission and European Parliament about the opportunities now coming within range. It is often difficult to estimate the timeframe for the development of specific engineered nanomaterials and their launch as novel products. Therefore, it is vitally important to create the appropriate supportive environment for innovation and flexibility in risk management (e.g. mandatory product register, labelling) to prepare for the envisaged longer term as well as for the shorter term encompassing the current and next generation of products. To this end, it is essential to invest in the science of safety assessment while, at the same time, seeking to expedite the regulatory review of the products emerging from that science. The stringency of the controls should match the potential of exposure.
The authors reiterate that there is only a limited amount of scientific evidence to suggest that nanomaterials present a risk for human health; they advise that the principles of risk assessment procedures should conform to the same procedures as any other new material, paying due respect to new phenomena that may occur due to new properties related to the nanoscale.