Nanomaterials and Protecting Health Risk

The tremendous growth prospects for the development and use of ultra strong, lightweight nanomaterials is both commercially promising and challenging from a regulatory perspective.

Federal health agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), are charged with protecting the safety of the American public and workers, respectively, and are beginning to take note of the potential health effects of nanoscale and other ultrafine particles (UFP). This column briefly summarizes these regulatory initiatives.