PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Nanotechnology is one of the fastest growing and most promising technologies with implications for a wide range of sectors from electronics and ceramics to optics and automation. The number of Engineered Nanomaterials (ENMs) available on the market is increasing, but concerns have been raised about their potential impacts on human health and the environment. Nanostructured materials can be released into the environment at each stage of their lifecycle (production, use and disposal), endangering the health of living organisms and ecosystems.
Nevertheless, production of the most representative ENMs is expected to increase. Global demand of ENMs is around 11.5 million tonnes, with a market value of roughly €20 billion. REACH regulation states that risk assessments for pollutants should be based on a comparison between the predicted level of exposure (PEC) and the predicted no effect concentration levels (PNEC). It therefore follows that estimates of the environmental concentrations nanomaterials are required in order to assess their risk. For ENMs to be registered in compliance with REACH a complete environmental risk assessment must be carried out.
OBJECTIVES
The overall aim of LIFE NanoMONITOR was to improve the use of environmental monitoring data to support the implementation of REACH regulation and promote the protection of human health and the environment when dealing with ENMs.
The key objectives were to develop:
- Standard operating procedures (SOPs) to collect and analyse ENMs in complex industrial, urban and natural environments; and
- An online information system composed of two integrated elements, a software application to capture, store and exchange data on the concentration of ENMs, and a new low-cost monitoring station prototype to support the outdoor and indoor monitoring of airborne nano-pollutants.
Specific objectives of the project were to:
- Develop a new software application to support the acquisition, management and processing of data on the concentration of ENMs;
- Design and develop a proven monitoring station prototype for continuous monitoring of particles below 100 nm in air (PM0.1), combining advanced data acquisition technologies with newly developed technologies to allow continuous operation;
- Design and develop standardised sampling and data analysis procedures to ensure the quality, comparability and reliability of the monitoring data used for risk assessment;
- Support the calculation of the predicted environmental concentration (PEC) of ENMs in the context of REACH;
- Contribute to the consolidation of the knowledge base on the hazard and exposure potential of ENMs; and
- Support the monitoring of REACH compliance and its impact on risk mitigation and prevention.
The data generated would contribute to the calculation of PEC values.
RESULTS
The project LIFE NanoMOnitor designed and constructed a low-cost monitoring station prototype equipped with a measurement device optimised for continuous sampling of nanosized (1 to 100 nm in diameter) and ultra-fine airborne particles (10 to 300 nm in diameter) in indoor workplaces and outdoor environments. It also created an online software application to support real-time data processing.
Another main achievement of the project was the establishment of a database containing information on the concentration of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). This database was designed and structured in compliance with the information requirements set out in the REACH regulation and relevant monitoring programmes. Providing robust and reliable exposure data will help improve protection of human health and the environment. To this end, the project also developed guidance on the use of environmental monitoring data under REACH, including detailed decision trees to support the use of monitoring data.
Specifically, the project gathered new information on tonnage levels and release rates to air, surface, fresh and marine water, wastewater and soil of relevant ENMs, as well as improving our understanding of the airborne behaviour of the target ENMs. In particular, it obtained new data on the aggregation/agglomeration patterns and deposition factors of the ENMs.
Finally, the project developed free webinars and workshops to support the training of end-users and stakeholders. The tools developed by the project help companies estimate exposure levels in their workplaces and support the risk assessment process. Specific relevant results included:
- Selection of the most relevant ENMs in the context of REACH, including carbon-based materials, metal and metal oxide nanoparticles, layered nanoclays and nanocellulose whiskers;
- Characterisation and description of the main activities and processes that are conducted across the life cycle stages of the target ENMs, describing in detail those processes that affect exposure and release in the workplace
- Identification and description of the quality criteria and information requirements that shall satisfy measured data to be used for risk assessment purposes under the context of REACH, as well as the definition of a step-wide procedure to evaluate the validity of measured data upon REACH registration, risk assessment and environmental impact studies;
- Development of an on-line inventory of exposure scenarios and exposure monitoring data to ease the access and promote the use of the data generated within the project for risk assessment purposes
- Development and deployment of a back-end Application Server accompanied by a web-based client application to support the visualisation and management of data by stakeholders;
- Design and development of the guidance to support the standardisation of the sampling methods and analytical techniques to be used under occupational exposure and environmental monitoring campaigns; and
- Definition of a priority list of actions to comply with REACH regulation according with the information generated on the levels of exposure and effectiveness RMMs studied.
The project team drew up a plan for ensuring the continuation of the project. In the two years after the project end, the team planned to install five monitoring stations in Turin, Madrid and cities in the proximity of Valencia. The plan is to extend the installation campaign to Barcelona, Seville, Gijón in Spain and Braga and Porto in Portugal in the medium term before replicating the approach elsewhere in Europe.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
