Nanotechnologies have reached maturity and market penetration that require nano‐specific changes in legislation and harmonization among legislation domains, such as the amendments to REACH for nanomaterials (NMs) which came into force in 2020. Thus, an assessment of the components and regulatory boundaries of NMs risk governance is timely, alongside related methods and tools, as part of the global efforts to optimise nanosafety and integrate it into product design processes, via Safe(r)‐by‐Design (SbD) concepts. This paper provides an overview of the state‐of‐the‐art regarding risk governance of NMs and lays out the theoretical basis for the development and implementation of an effective, trustworthy and transparent risk governance framework for NMs. The proposed framework enables continuous integration of the evolving state of the science, leverages best practice from contiguous disciplines and facilitates responsive re‐thinking of nanosafety governance to meet future needs. To achieve and operationalise such framework, a science‐based Risk Governance Council (RGC) for NMs is being developed. The framework will provide a toolkit for independent NMs' risk governance and integrates needs and views of stakeholders. An extension of this framework to relevant advanced materials and emerging technologies is also envisaged, in view of future foundations of risk research in Europe and globally.
Advanced materials (such as the TiO2 fibers shown) are important building blocks for a post‐fossil circular economy that is fostered by the Horizon Europe research framework programme from 2021 to 2026. Rolf Packroff and Romy Marx outline how this increases the need for scientists in material development to address issues of safe and sustainable design, as well as interdisciplinary cooperation with experts in toxicology, exposure sciences, and chemicals regulation.
ZusammenfassungDie Verwendung von Asbest wurde, obwohl die gefährlichen Eigenschaften bereits vor mehr als 120 Jahren erkannt wurden, viel zu spät durch gesetzliche Regelungen eingeschränkt. Mit dem Toxikologischen Faserprinzip wurden die gesundheitlichen Auswirkungen auch wissenschaftlich plausibel und konnten auf Morphologie und Biobeständigkeit eingeatmeter Faserstäube zurückgeführt werden. Damit wurden nicht nur andere Fasermaterialien als potenzielle Kanzerogene identifiziert, sondern auch Ansatzpunkte für ein sicheres Design neuer Fasermaterialien abgeleitet. Die Risikoforschung zu Nanomaterialien hat diese Kenntnisse weiter vertieft und differenziert. Sie müssen nun Grundlage für eine Weiterentwicklung des europäischen Chemikalienrechts werden, um kein zweites Asbest auf dem Binnenmarkt zuzulassen.
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