The Challenge of Nanomaterial Risk Assessment

Engineered nanomaterials present a new set of challenges to evaluating and avoiding potential human health impacts and developing safe, beneficial, and sustainable products. However, formulating problems in ways that render these challenges tractable from a scientifically sound and societally responsive basis is complex and continues to challenge researchers, regulators, policy makers, and manufacturers. After nearly two decades of nanotechnology research and development, the safe and responsible use of the technology remains a high priority. Yet it is clearer now than ever that greater sophistication is needed in how we frame the problems than need to be addressed, and how we arrive at innovative solutions to seemingly intractable challenges.