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Appendix B Statement of Task The National Research Council will develop and will monitor the imple- mentation of an integrated research strategy to address the environmental, health, and safety aspects of engineered nanomaterials. This study will create a conceptual framework for environmental, health, and safety-related research; develop a research plan with short- and long-term research priorities; estimate resources necessary to implement this research plan; and subsequently evaluate research progress over a three year period. The committee will take into consid- eration current and emerging uses of engineered nanomaterials and the scientific uncertainties related to physical and chemical properties, potential exposures, toxicity, toxicokinetics, and environmental fate of these materials. In its evalua- tion the committee will also consider existing research roadmaps and progress made in their implementation. Two reports will be prepared over a 4-year period. The first report, which will be released within 18 months of study inception, will present a conceptual framework and priorities for the research program, identify the most important short-term and longer-term research priorities, develop a strategy for monitoring and evaluating research progress, and estimate the resources needed to imple- ment this strategy. A second and final report at the end of the study will evaluate research progress and update the research priorities and resource estimates based on results of studies and emerging trends in the nanotechnology industry. The committee will not estimate actual risks or benefits associated with environmen- tal, health, and safety aspects of nanomaterials. The first report will consider: ï· What properties of engineered nanomaterials need to be considered to assess their potential exposures, toxicity, toxicokinetics, and environmental fate? What standardization of testing materials is needed? 135
136 Research Progress on EHS Aspects of Engineered Nanomaterials ï· What methods and technologies are needed for detecting, measuring, analyzing, and monitoring engineered nanomaterials? What gaps in analytical capability need to be addressed? ï· What exposure, toxicology, toxicokinetic, human health and environ- mental fate studies are needed for assessing the risks of engineered nanomateri- als? ï· What testing methods should be developed for assessing the potential toxicity, toxicokinetics, and environmental fate of engineered nanomaterials? ï· What models should be developed for predicting the impacts of engi- neered nanomaterials on human health and the environment? ï· What are the research priorities for understanding lifecycle risks to hu- mans and the environment from applications of nanotechnology? ï· What criteria should be used to evaluate research progress? The second report will address the following issues: ï· What research progress has been made in understanding the health, en- vironmental, and safety aspects of nanotechnology? How does the research pro- gress affect relevance of the initial set of research priorities? ï· How have market and regulatory conditions changed and how does this affect the research priorities? ï· Are the criteria for evaluating the research progress on the health, envi- ronmental, and safety aspects of nanotechnology appropriate? ï· Considering the criteria developed, to what extent have short-term and long-term research priorities been initiated and implemented?
