Challenges of Regulation and Risk Assessment of Nanomaterials

Current Progress of activity and efforts on nanomaterials Environmental
health and safety in China
Chunying Chen 1
1 National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, China
With the rapid development of nanosciences and nanotechnology, diverse types of manufactured
nanomaterials have been currently utilized in thousands consume products to improve their
performance of pristine functions, or completely create novel functions, such as industrial products,
semiconductors, electronics, stain-resistant clothing, ski wax, catalysts, other commodity products
such as food, sunscreens, cosmetics, automobile parts, etc. There is an urgent and growing need for a
thorough and detailed examination into the effects of nanoparticles on biological systems.
With the increasing potential for workers and consumers to encounter nanoparticle-containing
products, there is a limited and lagging understanding of how these materials interact with cellular
systems and what the health and environmental consequences may be. To address these challenging
issues, i.e., toxicity of manufactured nanomaterials; their Fate, transport and transformation in
human body; human exposure and risk assessment; Transport and transformation of nanoparticles in
the environment, the Chinese government, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Chinese
Academy of Sciences (CAS), has put forward on the issues of ‘‘Nanosafety: Biological, Environmental
and Toxicological Effects of Nanoscale Materials/Particles’’ since 2004.
As in many countries, programs and initiatives on nanotechnology in China were started in the 1980s.
To date, quite a number of centres for research and development of nanoscience and
nanotechnology have been established in the CAS and universities. Acting as a technology platform
for domestic researchers from research institutions and industries, and a communication window for
international linkage or collaboration on nanotechnology, the National Center for Nanoscience and
Technology (NCNST) of China is co-founded by CAS and MOE. Within NCNST, China has established
Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, mainly including research on
the mutual interactions between nanostructures and biological entities, and the use of
nanoscience/technology to explore fundamental problems in life sciences. The main goals of the
Nanosafety Lab are to form a research network in China to address the issues concerning the
occupational and environmental health and safety of nanomaterials and find a solution to reduce the
potential environmental, health and social risks.
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