Nanotechnology White Paper - US Environmental Protection Agency

EPA Nanotechnology White Paper
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streams, the efficiency of current treatment regimes at addressing nanomaterials, the fate
of nanomaterials after treatment, methods for disposal of treatment output containing
nanomaterials, and the impact nanomaterials may have on the treatment of other toxic
constituents in the waste stream. EPA should collaborate with treatment, storage, and
disposal facilities (TSDFs) and academia on this research.
• ORD and OSW should lead research on the fate of nanomaterials in municipal, industrial,
and hazardous waste (i.e., Subtitle C) landfills, and other land-based waste management
scenarios (e.g., surface impoundments). Research would identify relevant waste streams,
the efficiency of current containment technologies (e.g., various cap and liner types,
leachate collection systems) at preventing the leaching of nanomaterials into
groundwater, the fate of nanomaterials after disposal, and the impact nanomaterials may
have on the containment of other toxic constituents in the waste stream. EPA should
collaborate with municipal and industrial stakeholders, and academia on this research.
6.2.3 Research Recommendations for Environmental Detection and Analysis
Where applicable, the initial focus of environmental detection and analysis related
research should be on nanomaterials or types of nanomaterials that have demonstrated potential
human or ecological toxicity. The following is a prioritized list of research needs for
environmental detection and analysis.
• ORD should lead the development of a report on the assessment of available
environmental detection methods and technologies for nanomaterials in environmental
media and for personal exposure monitoring. ORD could collaborate with NIOSH,
DOD, industry and academia in developing this report.
• ORD should collaborate with NIST, NIOSH, DOD, nanomaterial manufacturers and
government and private sector organizations in the development of quality control
reference materials for analytical methods for nanomaterials.
• ORD should lead development of a set of standard methods for the sampling and analysis
for nanomaterials of interest in various environmental media. ORD should collaborate
with NIOSH, DOD, industry, academia, the American Society for Testing Materials
(ASTM) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in developing these
methods.
6.2.4 Research Recommendation Human Exposures, their Measurement and Control
The following is a prioritized list of research needs for human exposures, their
measurement and control.
• OPPT should conduct a literature search to evaluate the effects of nanomaterial
physical/chemical properties on releases and exposures.
• ORD and OPPT should lead research to determine what dose metrics (e.g. mass, surface
area, particle count, etc.) are appropriate for measuring exposure to nanomaterials.