According to the report of the Chemical World in the United Kingdom last week, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is currently uniting a number of countries to integrate the effective resources of various countries and assess the impact of nanomaterials being used on human health and environmental safety. In fact, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States have been dedicated to the safety assessment of fullerenes, single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, and cerium oxide nanomaterials as early as several years ago. It is expected that more countries will join the ranks in the coming months, which indicates that nanotechnology research and materials applications are about to enter a new era.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, nanotechnology has been developing at the forefront of cutting-edge science and technology. The large-scale production of man-made nanomaterials has been widely used in nearly a thousand kinds of consumer products and industrial products. The business prospects of nanotechnology are extremely impressive. The National Science Foundation of the United States once predicted that by 2015, nanotechnology will create a market valued at one trillion U.S. dollars worldwide.
However, the biosafety of nanomaterials is still unknown, and there are no mature analytical methods for its impact on health. According to experiments conducted by researchers at the University of Rochester, New York, USA, inhalation of nanomaterials by rats may have adverse effects on multiple organs and the central nervous system. Although people do not yet know what effect nanoparticles will enter and accumulate on the brain, the safety of nanomaterial applications has long been valued by those who are cautious about nanotechnology. Some scientists even suggested that nanomaterial research should be suspended to ensure human health and environmental safety. At the 314th Xiangshan Scientific Conference on nanotechnology and environmental safety held in Beijing in late November last year, we fully recognized the opportunities and challenges that the development of nanotechnology brought to the environment, and identified and prevented the possible existence of nanotechnology applications. Environmental risks have become the focus of experts attending the conference.
It is not because of the safety issues that nanomaterials have caused, but the preparation of this new material for everyday life. The OECD Working Group on Artificial Nanomaterials has so far received approximately US$20 million in grants. National governments have provided a large amount of funding for this safety assessment. In addition, the industry has also sponsored a portion of it. At present, 10 countries are assisting the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to implement this project, and about 10 kinds of nano-material testing methods have matured. The OECD initially estimates that in the next two years, the working group will spend about $2 million to test the nanomaterials concerned. The test includes the physical and chemical properties of materials, environmental degradation properties, environmental toxicology and mammalian toxicology.
“It is very important that all countries work together to avoid any interference in the risk assessment of nanotechnology.†Peter Kearns, OECD's chief of nano security, said, “Security assessment is a truly interdisciplinary issue. Therefore, Bringing together these resources and expertise is beneficial to all parties.†Since the safety data generated by this project must be accepted by all countries, international collaboration should receive sufficient attention.
Although the United States has long started related research, a new report issued by the country’s parliament shows that one-fifth of the special allocation for this initiative from the national nanometer plan may be used in other areas. In FY2006, the U.S. federal agencies invested nearly US$38 million in nanotechnology research on environmental, health, and safety risks, accounting for 3% of total nanotechnology research funding. However, the government found that of the 119 projects that year, some 22 projects focused on how to use nanotechnology to remedy environmental damage or to study environmental hazards that are not related to nanotechnology. Therefore, in order to ensure that project funds can be used effectively, each partner must develop a development plan that details their safety assessment strategy and submit it to the OECD early next year.
Andrew Maynard, chief scientific advisor to the emerging nanotechnology program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, Washington, supports OECD efforts. However, he said that an overall strategy needs to be developed to ensure that the data produced is effective and comparable. Maynard warned: "This work will influence the possible development direction of nanomaterials in the next 5 to 10 years. If different people use different methods and materials and adopt different testing methods, it will be difficult to draw effective conclusions."
Since the beginning of the 21st century, nanotechnology has been developing at the forefront of cutting-edge science and technology. The large-scale production of man-made nanomaterials has been widely used in nearly a thousand kinds of consumer products and industrial products. The business prospects of nanotechnology are extremely impressive. The National Science Foundation of the United States once predicted that by 2015, nanotechnology will create a market valued at one trillion U.S. dollars worldwide.
However, the biosafety of nanomaterials is still unknown, and there are no mature analytical methods for its impact on health. According to experiments conducted by researchers at the University of Rochester, New York, USA, inhalation of nanomaterials by rats may have adverse effects on multiple organs and the central nervous system. Although people do not yet know what effect nanoparticles will enter and accumulate on the brain, the safety of nanomaterial applications has long been valued by those who are cautious about nanotechnology. Some scientists even suggested that nanomaterial research should be suspended to ensure human health and environmental safety. At the 314th Xiangshan Scientific Conference on nanotechnology and environmental safety held in Beijing in late November last year, we fully recognized the opportunities and challenges that the development of nanotechnology brought to the environment, and identified and prevented the possible existence of nanotechnology applications. Environmental risks have become the focus of experts attending the conference.
It is not because of the safety issues that nanomaterials have caused, but the preparation of this new material for everyday life. The OECD Working Group on Artificial Nanomaterials has so far received approximately US$20 million in grants. National governments have provided a large amount of funding for this safety assessment. In addition, the industry has also sponsored a portion of it. At present, 10 countries are assisting the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to implement this project, and about 10 kinds of nano-material testing methods have matured. The OECD initially estimates that in the next two years, the working group will spend about $2 million to test the nanomaterials concerned. The test includes the physical and chemical properties of materials, environmental degradation properties, environmental toxicology and mammalian toxicology.
“It is very important that all countries work together to avoid any interference in the risk assessment of nanotechnology.†Peter Kearns, OECD's chief of nano security, said, “Security assessment is a truly interdisciplinary issue. Therefore, Bringing together these resources and expertise is beneficial to all parties.†Since the safety data generated by this project must be accepted by all countries, international collaboration should receive sufficient attention.
Although the United States has long started related research, a new report issued by the country’s parliament shows that one-fifth of the special allocation for this initiative from the national nanometer plan may be used in other areas. In FY2006, the U.S. federal agencies invested nearly US$38 million in nanotechnology research on environmental, health, and safety risks, accounting for 3% of total nanotechnology research funding. However, the government found that of the 119 projects that year, some 22 projects focused on how to use nanotechnology to remedy environmental damage or to study environmental hazards that are not related to nanotechnology. Therefore, in order to ensure that project funds can be used effectively, each partner must develop a development plan that details their safety assessment strategy and submit it to the OECD early next year.
Andrew Maynard, chief scientific advisor to the emerging nanotechnology program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, Washington, supports OECD efforts. However, he said that an overall strategy needs to be developed to ensure that the data produced is effective and comparable. Maynard warned: "This work will influence the possible development direction of nanomaterials in the next 5 to 10 years. If different people use different methods and materials and adopt different testing methods, it will be difficult to draw effective conclusions."