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July 17, 2014

OECD Publishes Report of Expert Meeting on Physical Chemical Properties of Manufactured Nanomaterials and Test Guidelines

Lynn L. Bergeson

On July 15, 2014, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) posted the July 2014 Report of the OECD Expert Meeting on the Physical Chemical Properties of Manufactured Nanomaterials and Test Guidelines. The Report presents the discussion and recommendations from the February 28-March 1, 2013, workshop on “Physico-chemical Properties of Manufactured Nanomaterials and Test Guidelines.” OECD notes that the workshop was organized “in close collaboration with the International Organization for Standardization Technical Committee on Nanotechnologies (ISO/TC 229),” which “provided an important dimension for the analysis of the physical-chemical properties of manufactured nanomaterials.” The discussion focused on selected endpoints and those existing OECD Test Guidelines and other methods and protocols that are being used to address them. The categories of endpoints selected included:

  1. State of Dispersion, Aggregation and Agglomeration of Nanomaterials;
  2. Size (and Size Distribution) of Nanoparticles;
  3. Surface Area and Porosity; and
  4. Surface Reactivity.

Four breakout groups were formed with the task to address the following questions:

  • Identify the relevance of these endpoints as additions to conventional physical-chemical characterization; and if relevant, outline possible methods (i.e., new OECD Test Guidelines) based on the outcomes of the OECD Testing Program and other sources of information;
  • Identify whether there is a need for specific guidance documents for testing and assessment of the physical-chemical properties of nanomaterials or adaptation of existing OECD Guidance Documents;
  • Discuss whether specific sections should be developed for the “Guidance on Sample Preparation and Dosimetry” (GSPD) on the basis of the experiences obtained in the Testing Program and other new developments in the area of testing and assessment of physical-chemical properties; and
  • Identify whether specific endpoints and/or OECD Test Guidelines are relevant to different categories of nanomaterials.