Public Shares Views on EHS Research Needs for Engineered Nanoscale Materials

Participants at the public meeting on EHS Research Needs held in Arlington, VA Approximately 150 people took part in the National Nanotechnology Initiative's (NNI) Public Meeting on Research Needs related to the Environmental, Health, and Safety Aspects of Engineered Nanoscale Materials. The meeting was held January 4, 2007, in Arlington, Virginia. Fifteen speakers, representing industry, academia, non-governmental organizations, and risk assessment consulting organizations, addressed representatives of government agencies with responsibilities in the area of nanotechnology.

The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), on behalf of the Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee of the Committee on Technology, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), held a public meeting on January 4, 2007, to receive input on research needs related to the environmental, health, and safety aspects of engineered nanoscale materials. Specifically, the NSET Subcommittee is seeking comment on the research needs and prioritization criteria for the research that were identified in the NSET Subcommittee document Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Needs for Engineered Nanoscale Materials, which was released on September 21, 2006.

The agencies of the NNI had requested input on the research needs, identified in a document published in September 2006, and on the prioritization criteria for such research needs. (See NNI's EHS Research Needs). The public input will be used to formulate the government's recommended priorities for safety-related research on nanomaterials, which, in turn, will guide agencies and program managers who fund research in the field.