Safety in the Plant

Sean Ottewell reports on how the concerns over the safety of nanoparticles has prompted a major research project into their potential hazards. At the same time theyy continue to offer exciting new opportunities for chemical companies.

Sean Ottewell signale comment les préoccupations concernant les nanoparticules ont donné lieu à un important projet de recherche quant à leurs risques potentiels. Dans le même temps, elles continuent d’offrir des opportunités nouvelles et excitantes pour les fabricants de produits chimiques.

Sean Ottewell berichtet darüber, wie Bedenken in Bezug auf die Sicherheit von Nanopartikeln ein recht umfangreiches Forschungsprojekt über deren potenzielle Gefahren in Gang gesetzt haben. Gleichzeitig bieten sie für Chemikalienhersteller aber fantastische neue Möglichkeiten.

Nanoparticle initiative to tackle safety fears

T

he latest move to improve our understanding of nanoparticles is being made by the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes

of Health. The organisation is increasing investment in understanding the potential health, safety and environmental issues related to tiny particles that are used in many everyday products such as sunscreens, cosmetics and electronics. It will award about US$13million over two-years to bolster its ongoing research portfolio in the area of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). “We currently know very little about nanoscale

materials’ effect on human health and the environment,” said Linda Birnbaum, director of the NIEHS and the US National Toxicology Programme (NTP). “Nanomaterials come in so many shapes and sizes, with each one having

different chemical properties and physical and surface characteristics. They are tricky materials to get a handle on. The same properties that make nanomaterials so potentially beneficial in drug delivery and product development are some of the same reasons we need to be cautious about their presence in the environment.” The new awards focus on ensuring that we

have reliable and reproducible methods and models to assess exposure, exposure metrics, and biological response to nanomaterials. This research is also essential for the harmonisation of research results and forming a scientifically sound basis for hazard assessment, as well as the safe design and development of ENMs. “There are inconsistencies in the biological

effects of ENMs reported in the scientific literature, and a major reason for this is lack of detailed characterisation of the physical and chemical

Fig. 1. The ICCA hopes its efforts will help to bring about a much more comprehensive understanding of all the issues related to nanomaterials.

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