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Citation
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HERO ID
3273580
Reference Type
Journal Article
Title
Comparative assessment of nanomaterial definitions and safety evaluation considerations
Author(s)
Boverhof, DR; Bramante, CM; Butala, JH; Clancy, SF; Lafranconi, M; West, Jay; Gordon, SC
Year
2015
Is Peer Reviewed?
1
Journal
Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology
ISSN:
0273-2300
EISSN:
1096-0295
Volume
73
Issue
1
Page Numbers
137-150
DOI
10.1016/j.yrtph.2015.06.001
Web of Science Id
WOS:000361410700015
Abstract
Nanomaterials continue to bring promising advances to science and technology. In concert have come calls for increased regulatory oversight to ensure their appropriate identification and evaluation, which has led to extensive discussions about nanomaterial definitions. Numerous nanomaterial definitions have been proposed by government, industry, and standards organizations. We conducted a comprehensive comparative assessment of existing nanomaterial definitions put forward by governments to highlight their similarities and differences. We found that the size limits used in different definitions were inconsistent, as were considerations of other elements, including agglomerates and aggregates, distributional thresholds, novel properties, and solubility. Other important differences included consideration of number size distributions versus weight distributions and natural versus intentionally-manufactured materials. Overall, the definitions we compared were not in alignment, which may lead to inconsistent identification and evaluation of nanomaterials and could have adverse impacts on commerce and public perceptions of nanotechnology. We recommend a set of considerations that future discussions of nanomaterial definitions should consider for describing materials and assessing their potential for health and environmental impacts using risk-based approaches within existing assessment frameworks. Our intent is to initiate a dialogue aimed at achieving greater clarity in identifying those nanomaterials that may require additional evaluation, not to propose a formal definition. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Keywords
Nanomaterial; Definitions; Risk evaluation
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