Supporting Decision Making for Sustainable Nanotechnology

Understanding how stakeholders manage risks associated with nanomaterials is a key input to the design of strategies and tools to achieve safe and sustainable nanomanufacturing. The paper presents some results of a study aiming firstly to inform the development of a software decision support tool. Further, we seek also to understand existing tools used by stakeholders as a source of capabilities and potential adaptation into decision support framework and tools. Central research questions of this study are: How is collective decision-making on risk management and sustainable nanomaterials organised? Which aspects are taken into account in this collective decision-making? And what role can a decision support tool play in such decision-making? The paper analyses 13 responses to a questionnaire survey held among participants in a meeting in October 2013 and a series of 27 semi-structured telephone interviews conducted from January until April 2014 with decision-makers from mainly European industry and regulators involved in risk management and sustainable manufacturing of nanomaterials. Findings from the study on the social organisation of collective decision-making, aspects taken into account in decisions and potential role of decision support tools are presented.Understanding how stakeholders manage risks associated with nanomaterials is a key input to the design of strategies and tools to achieve safe and sustainable nanomanufacturing. The paper presents some results of a study aiming firstly to inform the development of a software decision support tool. Further, we seek also to understand existing tools used by stakeholders as a source of capabilities and potential adaptation into decision support framework and tools. Central research questions of this study are: How is collective decision-making on risk management and sustainable nanomaterials organised? Which aspects are taken into account in this collective decision-making? And what role can a decision support tool play in such decision-making? The paper analyses 13 responses to a questionnaire survey held among participants in a meeting in October 2013 and a series of 27 semi-structured telephone interviews conducted from January until April 2014 with decision-makers from mainly European industry and regulators involved in risk management and sustainable manufacturing of nanomaterials. Findings from the study on the social organisation of collective decision-making, aspects taken into account in decisions and potential role of decision support tools are presented

Comparing mental models of prospective users of the sustainable nanotechnology decision support system

Mental modelling analysis can be a valuable tool in understanding and bridging cognitive values in multi-stakeholders' communities. It is especially true in situation of emerging risks where significant uncertainty and competing objectives could result in significant difference in stakeholder perspective on the use of new materials and technologies. This paper presents a mental modelling study performed among prospective users of an innovative decision support system for safe and sustainable development of nano-enabled products. These users included representatives of industry and regulators, as well as several insurance specialists and researchers. We present methodology and tools for comparing stakeholder views and objectives in the context of developing a decision support system

Organisational Risk Management of Nanomaterials Using SUNDS - The Contribution of CENARIOS®

The CENARIOS®-Standard is the first certifiable risk management system (RMS) and monitoring system designed specifically for the needs of companies concerned with nanomaterials. The rapidly evolving field of nanotechnology is characterised by a high level of uncertainty in environmental health and safety research, economic and social impacts, as well as the risk perception of the technology. Companies dealing with nanotechnology can better address this uncertainty by embedding practices like risk monitoring, risk analysis, risk communication, and crisis management into their organisational culture. Monitoring developments in the fields of toxicology, occupational safety and health, as well as societal and perception risk constitute a fundamental part of the CENARIOS® RMS. As part of the project SUN (Sustainable Nanotechnologies), a questionnaire based on the CENARIOS® Certification Standard is being implemented as a stand-alone module and is linked to the SUN Decision Support System (SUNDS). As risk management in SUNDS Tier 2 is quantitatively linked to risk assessment results, organisational risk management—an essential component in addressing complex and uncertain risks that cannot be evaluated quantitatively—is assessed using a separate web-based questionnaire. The module covers a representative selection of the specific requirements stipulated in the certification standard and thereby enables interested enterprises to assess their level of fulfilment (in terms of the exigencies of the certification standard) in an independent and inexpensive manner. The stand-alone module provides a simple and low-threshold means to evaluate the status of a company’s organisational risk management for nanomaterials. Existing gaps that need to be addressed in order to comply with the CENARIOS® certification standard are highlighted. If corresponding action is taken, the CENARIOS® stand-alone module may thus contribute to enhancing the safety of facilities and firms producing, processing, or handling nanomaterials

Assessing risks of nano-enabled products used in restoration of works of art

The development of advanced technologies for artworks preservation has provided conservators with new nanoparticle formulations that represent novel scientific solutions to several issues in restoration and conservation However, the potential human health and environmental impacts that may potentially emerge from these new materials and/or techniques are still unknown. To address these issues, the FP7 Project NANOFORART (Nano materials for the conservation and preservation of movable and immovable artworks) has developed some products based on advanced materials with low environmental impacts. Those include nanoparticle dispersions, micellar solutions, microemulsions and chemical gels used for the consolidation, pH control and cleaning of works of art. We assessed the environmental impacts of a set of nanoparticle dispersions (i.e. four formulations of Ca(OH)2 nanoparticles dispersed in 1-propanol, 2-propanol, ethanol, and two formulations of CaCO3 nanoparticle dispersed in water and in a 2-propanol/water mixture, respectively), along their life-cycle by performing a screening risk assessment. Exposure to both humans and the environment was evaluated by estimating the potential release of the nanoparticles in the manufacturing, preparation, application and post-application stages in order to identify relevant exposure scenarios. Health and environmental hazards were evaluated by self-classifying the investigated formulations according to the "Guidance on the Application of the CLP Criteria" provided by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) [3]. This work was supported by tests on nanoparticle dispersions performed according to Human Skin Equivalent Models (HSEM). The results revealed that no relevant exposure and effect are expected for the environmental compartments. For human health, although the self-classification highlighted potential health hazards for some of the proposed dispersions, it was found that the main route of exposure, represented by dermal contact, could lead to adverse toxicological effects only for one system at the highest tested concentration (representative of real application conditions). All the other systems resulted as not irritant for human skin at concentrations representative of real application conditions. However, the use of common personal protective equipment (i.e. gloves, glasses) and prevention measures (i.e. ventilated room), is always recommended in order assure appropriate workers protection. This is one of the first studies addressing environmental impacts of nano-enabled products that can be employed for cultural heritage applications as substitutes of the pure organic solvents and other chemicals with recognized toxicity and environmental impact. The work performed in the NANOFORART project will be further developed and expanded in the frame of the EU Horizon 2020 NANORESTART project in which the ustainability of nanomaterials used for restoration and conservation of contemporary art will be assessed according to environmental, economic, social and technical aspects

Demonstration of a modelling-based multi-criteria decision analysis procedure for prioritisation of occupational risks from manufactured nanomaterials

Several tools to facilitate the risk assessment and management of manufactured nanomaterials (MN) have been developed. Most of them require input data on physicochemical properties, toxicity and scenario-specific exposure information. However, such data are yet not readily available, and tools that can handle data gaps in a structured way to ensure transparent risk analysis for industrial and regulatory decision making are needed. This paper proposes such a quantitative risk prioritisation tool, based on a multi-criteria decision analysis algorithm, which combines advanced exposure and dose-response modelling to calculate margins of exposure (MoE) for a number of MN in order to rank their occupational risks. We demonstrated the tool in a number of workplace exposure scenarios (ES) involving the production and handling of nanoscale titanium dioxide, zinc oxide (ZnO), silver and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The results of this application demonstrated that bag/bin filling, manual un/loading and dumping of large amounts of dry powders led to high emissions, which resulted in high risk associated with these ES. The ZnO MN revealed considerable hazard potential in vivo, which significantly influenced the risk prioritisation results. In order to study how variations in the input data affect our results, we performed probabilistic Monte Carlo sensitivity/uncertainty analysis, which demonstrated that the performance of the proposed model is stable against changes in the exposure and hazard input variables

Colloidal characterization of CuO nanoparticles in biological and environmental media

The relationships between the physicochemical properties of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) and their adverse health and environmental effects are still unclear. In order to understand key nano-bio/eco interactions and to convert this knowledge into “Safety by Design” (SbyD) strategies, it is essential to study the colloidal properties of ENMs in nanoIJeco)toxicology-relevant media. In the frame of such a SbyD approach, this paper investigates the dispersion stability of copper oxide NPs surface-modified by means of four stabilizing agents, namely, [polyethylenimine (PEI), sodium ascorbate (ASC), sodium citrate (CIT), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)], which were used to achieve positive (PEI), negative (ASC, CIT), and neutral (PVP) surface charging of the NPs. The effects of these four stabilizers on the CuO NPs' physicochemical properties were investigated in different biological and environmental media by combining dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering (DLS and ELS), centrifugal separation analysis (CSA) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The results showed improved dispersion stability for CuO-CIT, CuO-ASC, and CuO-PEI in both Milli-Q and phosphate buffered saline (PBS) as compared to pristine CuO and CuO-PVP. The increased ionic strength of artificial fresh (AFW) and marine (AMW) waters strongly destabilized all the CuO NP suspensions, except for CuO-PEI dispersed in AFW. The presence of proteins and amino acids in the test media had a strong influence on the colloidal stability of all the dispersions. Characterization of colloidal properties and ion release rates in (eco)toxicological testing media will help to correlate some of these properties with (eco)toxicological responses, thus enabling prediction of the behavior of NPs in real environments

Assessing the social impacts of nano-enabled products through the life cycle: the case of nano-enabled biocidal paint

Purpose: Assessment of the social aspects of sustainability of products is a topic of significant interest to companies, and several methodologies have been proposed in the recent years. The significant environmental health and safety concerns about nano-enabled products calls for the early establishment of a clear benefit-risk framework in order to decide which novel products should be developed further. This paper proposes a method to assess the social impacts of nano-enabled products through the life cycle that is (a) quantitative, (b) integrates performance and attitudinal dimensions of social impacts and (c) considers the overall and stakeholder balance of benefits and costs. Social life cycle assessment (s-LCA) and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) are integrated to address this need, and the method is illustrated on a case study of a nano-enabled product. Methods: The s-LCA framework comprises 15 indicators to characterize the social context of the product manufacture placed within the classification structure of benefit/cost and worker/community. The methodology includes four steps: (a) normalization of company level data on the social indicator to country level data for the year, (b) nested weighting at stakeholder and indicator level and its integration with normalized scores to create social indicator scores, (c) aggregation of social indicator scores into benefit score, cost score and net benefit scores as per the s-LCA framework and (d) classification of social indicator scores and aggregated scores as low/medium/high based on benchmarks created using employment and value-added proxies. Results and discussion: A prospective production scenario involving novel product, a nano-copper oxide (n-CuO)-based paint with biocidal functionality, is assessed with respect to its social impacts. The method was applied to 12 indicators at the company level. Classification of social indicator scores and aggregated scores showed that the n-CuO paint has high net benefits. Conclusions: The framework and method offer a flexible structure that can be revised and extended as more knowledge and data on social impacts of nano-enabled products becomes available. The proposed method is being implemented in the social impact assessment sub-module of the SUN Decision Support (SUNDS) software system. Companies seeking to improve the social footprint of their products can also use the proposed method to consider relevant social impacts to achieve this goal

Integrating the Social Impacts into Risk Governance of Nanotechnology

Literature on the risk governance of nanotechnology places significant emphasis on the potential social impacts of nano-enabled products. However, there is limited information on which social impacts are relevant for nano-enabled products, and a methodology to monitor them to support risk governance is lacking. This chapter proposes a quantitative methodology based on Social Life Cycle Assessment (s-LCA) and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) to assess the social impacts of nano-enabled products through their life cycle. The s-LCA conceptual scheme (i.e. impacts and indicators for different stakeholders) is developed through an appraisal of literature on social impacts of products and Ethical, Legal and Social Impacts (ELSI) of nanotechnology, which is used to select suitable indicators in statistical databases. Five indicators associated with impacts of nano-enabled products, with two impacts in Worker category (professional training and non-fatal accidents) and three impacts in Community category (education, employment, research and development expenditure), were identified as relevant to compare nano-enabled products with similar functionality or nano-enabled product with their conventional counterpart. The indicators are organized within a conceptual scheme comprising benefits (education, employment and professional training) and costs (research and development expenditure and non-fatal accidents). A quantitative MCDA methodology is proposed and applied to a case study according to benefit-cost conceptual scheme. The gaps to be addressed to expand the future development of methodologies to assess social impacts of nano-enabled products are discussed