In an article published on January 30, 2017 the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) informs about a book chapter on “Feasibility and challenges of human health risk assessment for engineered nanomaterials,” jointly drafted scientists from the JRC and Danish organizations. The chapter is part of the book “Engineered nanoparticles and the environment: Biophysicochemical processes and toxicity,” published as part of the “Wiley-IUPAC series in biophysico-chemical processes in environmental systems.”
Nanomaterials have “specific properties which may change during the life cycle” and “one chemical composition may cover many nanomaterials (nanoforms) that have different (eco)toxicological properties,” the JRC explains. Therefore, systematic testing of all different nanoforms in all use/release scenarios is considered an impossible task in terms of time, cost, and ethics. The scientists reviewed the feasibility of using alternative methods and/or increasingly exploiting information from traditional test methods to predict the hazards of and exposure to nanomaterials. They also addressed the challenges in implementing according tools in regulatory risk assessment. The JRC further explains that the development and validation of in vitro and in silico assays for the hazard assessment and exposure modeling of nanomaterials lag behind conventional chemicals. The scaling, grouping, and read-across approach to existing information from different (nano)forms is currently considered to be most promising.
Read more
JRC (January 30, 2017). “Human health risk assessment for nanomaterials: Feasibility and challenges.”
Reference
Xing, B., et al. (2016). “Engineered nanoparticles and the environment: Biophysicochemical processes and toxicity.” Wiley-IUPAC series in biophysico-chemical processes in environmental systems (ISBN: 978-1-119-27582-4).
