How should risks and hazards related to nanoparticles be addressed?
Chemicals in their nanoparticle form have properties that are completely different from their larger physical forms and may therefore interact differently with and in biological systems. As a result, it is necessary to assess the risks arising from any nanoparticle that will potentially come in contact with humans, other species or the environment, even if the toxicology of the chemicals that make up the nanoparticle is well known. Because of the restricted range of nanoparticle types whose biological properties have been studied to date, it is uncertain whether or not the current limited evidence on the behaviour in biological systems is representative of nanoparticles in general. The traditional risk assessment methodology – which consists of exposure assessment, hazard identification, hazard characterization and finally risk characterization – has not yet been applied to nanoparticles. At the moment, there are no official guidelines on what is an appropriate testing procedure. The c
