NNI Environmental, Health, & Safety-Related Documents

U. S. federal perspective on critical research issues in nanoEHS

Oct. 1, 2023 

This article discusses critical issues and opportunities going forward in nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety (nanoEHS) research from the perspective of federal government agency participants in the National Nanotechnology Initiative’s interagency Nanotechnology Environmental and Health Implications Working Group (NEHI). NEHI is responsible for coordination of federal science agency nanoEHS research. As participants in NEHI, the authors examine critical issues in nanoEHS research from an integrated, transdisciplinary perspective. Major themes identified include detection, measurement, and characterization of real-world nanomaterial exposures; understanding the biological transformation of nanomaterials and their potential (eco)toxicological implications; understanding the landscape of nanotechnology-enabled products in commerce; and advancing the EHS knowledge infrastructure related to nanomaterials and nanotechnology.
 

A look back at the NNI’s interagency nanoEHS research collaboration

Oct. 14, 2022

This online article looks back at how research activities on the environmental, health, and safety implications of nanomaterials within the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) started and grew over time. The article discusses the key role of the Nanotechnology Environmental and Health Implications (NEHI) Working Group in coordinating these activities and in enabling the development of the 2008 and 2011 NNI Research Strategies. “With the publication of these research strategies, the NNI and its NEHI Working Group realized a new level of cooperation and urgency that has since been a major driver of interdisciplinary/cross-sector approaches,” the article states. International nanoEHS research activities supported by the NNI are also described. “By advancing tools, methods, and standards for robust health and safety evaluation, these cooperative efforts have fostered the safe and responsible development of nanotechnology in many regions of the world,” the article states.
 

Fifteen years of nanoEHS research advances science and fosters a vibrant community

Nov. 6, 2019

Following the 15-year anniversary of the signing of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, this article reflects on progress made in understanding both the potential environmental, health and safety implications of nanomaterials (nanoEHS) and the ethical, legal and societal aspects of nanotechnology. The nanoEHS community “has matured far beyond the days decades ago when the potential impacts of nanomaterials were largely unknown, to a situation where tools and protocols have been developed, engineering controls for laboratory and worker safety have been established, adoption of common data formats is underway and the value of working across boundaries of all kinds has become clear,” the article states. The article discusses the parameters that define the behaviors of nanomaterials, how nanomaterials interact with cells and tissues in the body, techniques used to detect and characterize nanomaterials in environmental and biological media, and the potential effects of exposure to engineered nanomaterials on human health.
 

Highlights of Recent Research on the Environmental, Health, and Safety Implications of Engineered Nanomaterials