The challenges of adopting voluntary health, safety and environment measures for manufactured nanomaterials: Lessons from the past for more effective adoption in the future

This article explores the use of voluntary environmental programs in the United States in the past, and applies the lessons learned from these experiences to the regulation of nanomaterials. The authors found that the key elements of any voluntary environmental program should be incentives to participate for various stakeholders, agency guidance and technical assistance, and transparency both in design, reporting and evaluation. The authors also recommend that any voluntary program become mandatory after 3 no more than three years to motivate voluntary participation.