FRANKFURT, Germany - After 10 years of risk assessment for nanomaterials, an intermediary report concludes that to date the technology poses no unusual risks. 

The intermediary report, 10 Years of Research: Risk Assessment, Human and Environmental Toxicology of Nanomaterials, by the joint DECHEMA/VCI Working Group "Responsible Production and Use of Nanomaterials" is now available in English. Experts from industry and research institutions have compiled 60 pages with the current status of safety research and give an overview on national and European projects on safety research of various nanomaterials for humans and the environment. At present, no extraordinary risks are known. The researchers point out that the size label "nano" does not represent an intrinsic hazard characteristic; instead, the impact of nanomaterials depends on other factors as well, such as the nature of the material. However, newly developed nanomaterials have to be submitted to a risk assessment just like any other new product. The researchers call for an adequate infrastructure in toxicology research and education in order to enable continuous safety research based on high-quality and international research standards.