One fundamental element for the Green Deal implementation is the European Regulation and standards. In particular, when it comes to the use of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, standards not only play a key role in the Single Market by harmonizing specifications but also have a significant impact on other aspects of society by providing a presumption of conformity with regulatory requirements.
Many everyday products containing nanomaterials are already on the European market such as batteries, coatings, anti-bacterial clothing, and cosmetics. And while nanomaterials offer many technical and commercial opportunities, they must also be manufactured safely and sustainably, just like any other substance on the EU market, it is important to ensure that their uses are properly assessed and that any risks are adequately controlled and managed.
Technical and information technology advances allow the development of increasingly powerful analytical and predictive tools. Initiatives like the Malta Project are working to update OECD test guidelines that can be used by industry and researchers in ensuring that all materials comply with relevant regulations in a cost-effective way.
So, it’s important to assess the safety of nanomaterials, and we need to characterize them appropriately. This includes performing measurements on various properties, such as particle size, surface area, and water solubility that may affect their toxicity.
Such characterization is necessary to ensure that any (eco)toxicological studies performed on the same, or very similar materials can be compared to each other. Furthermore, risk assessors are keen to obtain these measurements to understand if there are any patterns to the behaviour of nanomaterials that can be predicted based on these physicochemical parameters.
At the Euronanoforum we will host an open discussion on nanomaterials, their regulations, standards, and characterization. Join us! Two days to go but you are still able to join! Registration is FREE.