[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6671\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ENanomaterial tracking to limit impacts on the environment\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESafer sun cream, energy-storing plastics, non-stick surfaces, richer fertilisers and sweat-proof clothes \u2013 the evolution of nanotechnology, which utilises the special properties of small clusters of atoms, has led to an abundance of new products. However, relatively little is known about what happens when these nanomaterials enter the environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The main environmental concerns at the moment are understanding any effects of direct exposure, which could take place for plants and small organisms that might come into contact with nanopesticides and nanofertilisers,\u2019 said Dr Claus Svendsen, \u200eecotoxicologist at the NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in the United Kingdom.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018There haven\u0027t been any highlighted risks so far in the risk assessment exercises that have been led within the European research projects \u2013 but some of them have come close to where you would start asking for more data to assess that the margin (of risk) is reasonable.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Svendsen adds that current risk assessments primarily look at the manufactured form of nanomaterials, which takes a worst-case-scenario approach, but often isn\u2019t relevant from an environmental contamination point of view.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It\u2019s very rare that the nanomaterials end up in the environment in a form that looks exactly like the original product, which means the hazard data used for their authorisation isn\u2019t always relevant for understanding the environmental phase in their lifecycle,\u2019 said Dr Svendsen, who is also the project coordinator of the EU-funded NanoFASE project, which is tracking the environmental fate of industrial nanomaterials from production to their final resting place.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018There are very difficult questions that cannot be answered by the industry alone, it\u2019s still under scientific research.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Pieter van Broekhuizen, Project Coordinator, NanoDiode\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, paints with nanomaterials could be self-cleaning, block Wi-Fi or absorb thermal energy, but questions remain unanswered about what changes they may go through after being exposed to the elements and upon their release into the environment, be it in a few months or years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENanoFASE hopes to advance the understanding of where nanomaterials end up during their lifecycle and what changes they may have gone through. Their research will help safer product design and support future nanomaterial regulation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs well as testing nanomaterial deposits within soils, NanoFASE researchers have\u0026nbsp;built and modified their own pilot plants (e.g. wastewater treatment plant, sewage sludge incinerator) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Svendsen says this is because water treatment plants act as a \u2018gateway to the environment\u2019 and studying what happens in the demonstration plant, plus the sludge and effluents that come out of it, can offer an important insight into the form these materials might be in when arriving into waters or soils.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Many of the useful properties of nanoparticles come from their high reactivity. Therefore, when you put them in waste-management processes they transform and lose their reactivity very fast,\u2019 said Dr Svendsen.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Our collaborator Dr Ralf Kaegi at EAWAG uses\u0026nbsp;a pilot plant to mimic (reactive) process steps that go on for 48 hours or more in real sewage treatment plants, and found the whole transformation process for nanomaterials often took place in the first five\u0026nbsp;minutes.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis means nanomaterials may rarely enter the environment in their original manufactured forms,\u0026nbsp;which, according to Dr Svendsen, may help deliver more realistic risk assessment for products.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0027We are generally seeing evidence that the ageing and transformation processes occurring during release, waste handling and also within the environment itself ends up making nanomaterials less hazardous,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENanoFASE will, however, conduct experiments to better understand the higher uptake, or effects, that some organisms experienced when exposed to waste streams that contain potentially harmful nanomaterial forms.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECurrently, the amount of nanomaterials released\u0026nbsp;is so low that environmental exposure is unlikely to be a concern, says Dr Svendsen. But as nanomaterial use increases, more understanding is needed because knowing where particles end up, in what physical state and in what quantity will help prevent any potential risk down the line.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENano-industry\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe toxicity of certain nanomaterials is generally more understood than the impacts of exposure. But according to Dr Pieter van Broekhuizen, the coordinator of the EU-funded NanoDiode project, which developed plans to govern nanomaterials responsibly, the risk assessment of new nano-products is \u2018far behind the actual needs\u2019 of what is being introduced by the industry.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Industries are being strongly advised to be very careful introducing nanomaterials in new products, but on the other hand they are also stimulated to develop them as quickly as possible,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch into the toxicity of nanomaterials only began in earnest in the early 2000s, but the global market for nanomaterials is already estimated to be worth \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/research\/industrial_technologies\/policy_en.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EEUR 20 billion\u003C\/a\u003E and it\u2019s growing faster than the science.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/bit.ly\/newsalertsignup\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg class src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/news-alert-final.jpg\u0022 alt width=\u0022983\u0022 height=\u0022222\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWithin this conflicting situation, Dr van Broekhuizen adds that it\u2019s unfair to criticise industries because they\u2019re not equipped to make a good risk assessment due to the complex nature of nanomaterials, but it is also unfair to allow uncontrolled release of nanomaterials without a well-balanced toxicity profile.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018There are very difficult questions that cannot be answered by the industry alone \u2013 it\u2019s still under scientific research,\u2019 he said. \u2018But industry has a serious duty to generate required nanomaterials\u2019 toxicity data and proactively operationalise a precautionary approach in operational procedures and product design.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs well as potential environmental contamination, the increasing use of nanomaterials also means more workers and consumers will be exposed to nanomaterials. If inhaled, some nanomaterials could damage the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/osha.europa.eu\/en\/emerging-risks\/nanomaterials\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Erespiratory and cardio-vascular systems\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENanoDiode developed a risk assessment procedure to help business\u0026nbsp;avoid potential dangers if their employees work with nanomaterials\u0026nbsp;and produced several reports to promote a safer use of nanomaterials within the workplace and industry in general.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr van Broekhuizen\u0026nbsp;says they tried to \u2018reassess the entire industrial area\u2019 at a time crucial to this emerging sector.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem class=\u0022markup--em markup--p-em\u0022\u003EIf you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022moreinfoblock\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3\u003EGreen lining\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ENanomaterials could boost the environmental performance of industry. DIBBIOPACK was an EU-funded project that used nanotechnology to help develop a 100\u0026nbsp;% biodegradable packaging.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Nanotechnology opens a unique field of opportunities with performances unseen before in the packaging sector,\u2019 said Berta Gonzalvo Bas, research director at the Aitiip Technology Centre in Spain, who also coordinated the project.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy introducing nanomaterials she\u0026nbsp;was able to improve the durability of bioplastic and improve its recycling potential. She hopes that the development of their recyclable nano-packaging will be one of the first competitive biobased materials in the market.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022moreinfoblock\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3\u003EThe Issue\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ENanotechnology is increasingly being used in products all around us, from cosmetics and building materials to electronics and toothpaste.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAcross Europe, hundreds of institutions are working together to look at how to monitor exposure, manage the risks and advise on what regulations may be needed under the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nanosafetycluster.eu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EEU\u2019s NanoSafety Cluster\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEU funding aims to further the development of safe nanotechnologies\u003Cspan\u003E\u0026nbsp;within a\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/programmes\/horizon2020\/sites\/horizon2020\/files\/NMBP_Stakeholder_consultation2.pdf\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EEUR 1.8 billion\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u0026nbsp;fund for 2018-2020, which will also support next-generation materials as well as biotechnology and new\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u0026nbsp;manufacturing processes.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-lczml6sil6wxlk2u6pukvrus3essn1-seca9y37u9no\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-lcZML6sIL6wxlk2u6PuKVRuS3essN1-SeCA9Y37U9No\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]