Challenges of Regulation and Risk Assessment of Nanomaterials

OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials
Rasmussen K. 1 , Riego-Sintes J. 1
1 European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, Ispra, Italy
The OECD Chemical Committee established the Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials
(WPMN) in September 2006 to promote international co-operation in human health and
environmental safety aspects of manufactured nanomaterials. Its aim is to assist countries in their
efforts to assess the safety implications of nanomaterials.
The WPMN has launched 9 projects, each managed through a steering group (SG) and the project
areas are:
SG 1& 2: An OECD Database on Manufactured Nanomaterials to Inform and Analyse EHS Research
Activities
SG 3: Safety Testing of a Representative Set of Manufactured Nanomaterials
SG 4: Manufactured Nanomaterials and Test Guidelines
SG 5: Co-operation on Voluntary Schemes and Regulatory Programmes
SG 6: Co-operation on Risk Assessment
SG 7: The role of Alternative Methods in Nanotoxicology (added Nov. 2007)
SG 8: Exposure Measurement and Exposure Mitigation (added Nov. 2007)
SG 9: Co-operation on Environmentally Sustainable Use of Nanotechnology (added March 2009)
The presentation will focus on SGs 3, 4 and 7. SG 3 manages the Sponsorship programme in which 59
end-points are tested or addressed for 13 nanomaterials. The aim of the Sponsorship programme is
to understand the applicability of the OECD test guidelines (and other) to nanomaterials, as well as to
obtain a dossier describing the intrinsic properties of the selected nanomaterials. SG 4 was
established to review existing OECD and others Test Guidelines, for adequacy in addressing MNs, and
based on this identify the need for development of new or revision of existing test guidelines. SG 7
was established to support SG 3 on the use of alternative methods and testing strategies, e.g. to
identify missing endpoints that could be addressed by in vitro methods as well as needs for
development of new or adaptation of existing test methods by using in vitro methods. An additional
goal was to develop integrated testing strategies.
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