Life Cycle Concepts for the Development of Safe Nanoproducts: State of the art, existing gaps and

Whilst the global industry is rapidly moving forward to take advantage of the new opportunities and prospects offered by nanotechnologies, it is imperative that such developments take place in a safe and sustainable manner. The increasing use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in consumer products has raised certain concerns over their safety to human health and the environment. There are currently a number of major uncertainties and knowledge gaps in regard to behavior, chemical and biological interactions and toxicological properties of ENMs. As this will need generation of some new basic knowledge, it is unlikely that the uncertainties will be resolved in the immediate future. Considering the whole life cycle of nanoproducts ensures that possible impacts can be systematically discovered, when assessing the risk of ENMs. For example, life cycle assessment (LCA) - a formalized life cycle concept - may be used to assess the relative environmental performance of nanoproducts in comparison with their conventional equivalents. Other less formalized life cycle concepts may uncover further detailed and prospective knowledge for human and environmental exposure to ENMs throughout the life cycle of nanoproducts and reveal systematically other risks such as cross product contamination or increasing waste production. The combination of different life cycle concepts with the current knowledge on risk assessment can provide an early basis for informed decision making by the industry and regulators.