Collaborative Proposals: 1235693/1235706 Guston, David H. /
Intellectual Merit: The workshop will help move nanotechnology EHS research forward in order to more quickly assess the possible impacts of nanomaterials on health and the environment by characterizing the materials in question.
A series of background papers will address such topics as:
1. To what extent can we identify complex engineered nanomaterials (CENMs) and their trajectories in existing nano literature, patents, and products?
2. What do we know about the materials that are being or might be used for CENMs, in terms of current and anticipated functions, characterizations, toxicological properties, and life-cycle knowledge?
3. How do current leading scientific researchers understand the medium-term future development, applications and governing issues of CENMs that constitute the primary focus of this group?
4. What do we know about the ability of current regulatory science and regulatory policy pathways (knowledge systems including standards of evidence, decision support, etc.) to manage CENMs?
5. To what extent can we anticipate current approaches to predictive toxicology for nanomaterials to apply to CENMs?
Broader Impact:
The workshop on the anticipatory governance of CENMs will take fulladvantage of the dissemination abilities of the centers and groups involved. Background papers and the draft report will be available on the websites of the centers and notice of their availability sent to their multiple listservs with thousands of subscribers. After revisions from the workshop vetting, the background papers and the workshop report will be suitable for submission to journals such as Journal of Nanoparticle Research or Nature Nanotechnology. The executive committee may also arrange a briefing for the broader nano community following the publication of the papers. The inclusion of public and private sector participants in the workshop means that any perspectives and/or recommendations derived there are more likely to find receptive audiences.
