Nanomaterials and Safety Aspects

Products containing nano-objects (nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanofibres, nanorods, nanoplates and other nanostructured materials) are considered to provide benefits to society and opportunities for more efficient usage of natural resources and improved protection of the environment. Such materials have already been introduced in several market sectors such as health care (drug delivery, regenerative medicine, and diagnostics), cosmetics, textiles, electronics, information and energy technology, and environmental protection.

Given the rapid evolution of nanotechnology, mass production of nanomaterials will soon become standard implying also potential wide-scale exposure of workers and consumers as well as the environment. Several countries (e.g. USA, Germany, Switzerland, Japan) as well as the European Union have set up a „Strategy and Action Plan“ for nanosciences and nanotechnologies: This has been put into place in order to foster potential benefits of nanotechnologies, but in a safe, integrated, and responsible way. Switzerland started already in 2008 with the implementation of the actions defined in this strategy and several programs will be realised within the coming months. One of the main programs has been established by the BAG (Federal Office of Public Health), the so-called „Vorsorgeraster“, by which companies can evaluate their production processes and are advised on further activities to protect their workers or the environment against release of nano objects or the exposure to nanomaterials.

Within the context of the international co-operation for the safety of nanotechnologies, especially with respect to activities of the OECD and standardisation in ISO/CEN, the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) of the European Commission defined in its latest report on „Risk Assessment of Products of Nanotechnologies“ (2009) the following priorities:

1. Optimisation of existing and/or development of new test methods, in vitro and in vivo, to address aspects specific to engineered nanomaterials in characterisation and hazard assessment.2. Improvements in exposure assessment including, among others, relevant information on sampling, detection, instrumentation and modelling.

With this background, CCMX will support activities focussing on the development and establishment of standardised methods for in vitro and in vivo investigations of biological effects of nanomaterials. Availability, through dedicated synthesis, of well defined and quantitatively characterised nanoparticles with precisely tailored physical and chemical core and surface properties are a key requirement. Moreover, personalised measurement devices of nanoparticle exposure at the workplace is of interest as well. This program is complementary to the NFP 64, which addresses the fundamental biological mode of action of nanomaterials whereas CCMX focuses herewith on the development of standardised methods.

• V.I.G.O. - a new evaluation tool for determination, description and comparison of the biological effects of nanoparticles/nanomaterials  - Project approved, to start in 2010