ObservatoryNANO Posts Report on Nanotechnology EHS Landscape

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Lynn L. Bergeson

ObservatoryNANO posted on November 24, 2011, a report on the nanotechnology environment, health, and safety (EHS) landscape. ObservatoryNANO, which is funded by the European Commission, intends to support European policy makers by providing scientific and economic analysis of nanoscience and nanotechnology developments. ObservatoryNANO notes that activity concerned with the EHS aspects of nanotechnologies has been growing for a decade.  ObservatoryNANO states that the aim of the EHS landscaping report is to provide a map and overview of key organizations and their activities within the field worldwide in relation to nano-EHS.  ObservatoryNANO intends the landscaping document to support communication of efforts, outlining those key initiatives, activities, and projects within the field.  According to ObservatoryNANO, because of the challenge of keeping track of the rapidly changing field, the landscaping document provides only a snapshot of efforts ongoing within 2011, and will change with time.

ObservatoryNANO identified and grouped key organizations and projects into seven major areas:

  • Research;
  • Knowledge Transfer and Review;
  • Standardization;
  • Guidance;
  • Regulation;
  • Public Engagement; and
  • Professional Bodies.

The landscaping document provides a short overview of the organizations working within each area, together with links and references to further information.
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NSET Releases Strategy for Nanotechnology-Related EHS Research

Posted on February 21, 2008 by Lynn L. Bergeson
On February 14, 2008, the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on Technology released a final document entitled Strategy for Nanotechnology-Related Environmental, Health, and Safety Research, which describes the National Nanotechnology Initiative’s (NNI) strategy for addressing priority research on the environment, health, and safety (EHS) aspects of nanomaterials. The NNI EHS Strategy assigns priority to research and information needs identified by the NSET Subcommittee. NNI released an interim version of the EHS Strategy in August 2007, entitled Prioritization of Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Needs for Engineered Nanoscale Materials: An Interim Document for Public Comment. NNI incorporated public comments in preparing the final EHS Strategy. The Nanotechnology Environmental and Health Implications (NEHI) Working Group developed the EHS Strategy “to accelerate progress in research to protect public health and the environment, and to fill gaps in, and -- with the growing level of effort worldwide -- to avoid unnecessary duplication of, such research.”
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