Assessment and mitigation of nano-enabled product risks on human and
environmental health: Development of new strategies and creation of a digital guidance
tool for nanotech industries (GUIDEnano)
Amro Satti, Gemma Janer and Socorro Vázquez, LEITAT Technological Center, Spain
([email protected])
Abstract
The main objective of GUIDEnano is to develop innovative methodologies to evaluate and manage human and environmental health risks of nano-enabled products, considering the whole product life
cycle: synthesis of nanomaterials (NM), manufacturing of NM-enabled products, use, and end-of-life phase (including recycling). These developments will be incorporated into an interactive web-based
Guidance Tool, which will guide the NM-enabled product developers (mainly industry) into the design and application of the most appropriate risk assessment & mitigation strategy for a specific product.
The correct implementation of this guidance will ensure that the risks associated with a NM-enabled product, throughout its whole life cycle/ value chain, have been appropriately evaluated and
mitigated to an acceptable level, according to the most recent knowledge at the time of implementation. The evaluation of a NM-enabled product using this Tool will also be useful for risk communication
to regulators, insurance companies, and society.
THE TARGET:
NM-Enabled Product Life Cycle
NM-enabled product
manufacturing
NM
production
Nano-enabled
product X
Recycling
Use
No further action
required: NM-enabled
product safe
Life cycle of a NM-enabledproduct
RISK ASSESSMENT
Interactive Digital Guidance and
Communication Tool (GUIDEnano Tool)
Estimation of release
Estimationof workers &
consumers exposure
EnvironmentalFate
Yes
(sinks and transformations)
Acceptable
Risks?
Estimation of ecosystem
communitiesand general
population exposure
Hazardevaluation (humanand ecosystems health)
End-of-life
No
Refine RA
(move to
higher Tiers)
Reduce Risks
8 Case Studies
Paints and
Finishing
Construction
Food Industry
Textile
Infrastructure
Consumer Goods
Automotive
Environmental
Remediation
ZnO
Al2O3-SiO2
NanoCellulose
Ag
TiO2
TiO2
CNT
nFe0
Expected Results
 GUIDEnano Tool to be widely implemented within the industrial sector to evaluate and mitigate the risks associated with nano-enabled products
 Adaptation/optimization of hazard testing methods
 Development of new personal protective equipment (PPE) specific for handling nanomaterials
 New technologies and equipment that allow safe handling of nanomaterials with minimal release
 Novel safer-by-design strategies to generate safer nanomaterials
 Strategies for safe disposal and minimization of waste
 Reduction of environmental and human health impact by identifying hotspots for release and exposure of nanomaterials and implementation of appropriate mitigation strategies
 Influencing the standardization process to generate and update standards on the European and international level
The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh
Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement nº 607387