Targeted research for responsible actions

At the centre of the current safety debate about the risks of nano technology are particularly the ultra fine particles, because they can unfold completely new effects through their surface effects independently of their chemical composition.

Nano particles therefore principally have potential dangers, if they reach the human body and could irritiate the lungs for example. Doctors know from experience with work related illnesses (e.g. from mining) that the danger to health from particles in the air increases the smaller the particles are. Due to their smaller dimensions the particles can penetrate the body cells of other tissues and organs, influence important biological functions and possibly lead to allergies or cancer. This potential danger applies principally to industrially produced nano particles, even if they are often present in agglomerated forms and do not present nano particles in the actual sense.

Exposure of employees and consumers with industrially manufactured nano particles should be ruled out. In contrast to natural or unwanted particle emissions this can also be significantly better controlled with industrial processes. Amongst the causes of these natural or unwanted emissions are for example volcanic eruptions or forest fires. Compared to the quantity of naturally occurring nano particles in our environment, the percentage of industrially manufactured nano particles is currently negligbly small. However if you assume mass production and wide usage in the future, the likelihood of larger particles reaching the air, water and ground could increase.

This, however, depends on how the the particles are produced, applied, consumed and disposed of in the future. Indeed industrially manufactured nano particles and nano materials enter the production and every day products only very slowly, but therefore prevention and protection should sensibly begin in this early stadium. Being at the beginning of wide usage of a new technology also means, that many possible risks cannot yet be estimated, because not enough scientific data is available.

Therefore science, economics and politics are working nationally and internationally together with authorities and organisations on solid concepts for the safe handling of nano technology. Numerous national and international research projects are being subsidized for this purpose.

The risk research is aimed at:

• comprehensively describing the features of already manufactured and new nano materials depending on their size, shape, composition and correlation with other materials
• identifying sources of release of nano objects in the production process, in waste disposal or using end products
• researching and simulating possible intake paths in the human organism and other creatures
• scientifically examining retention period, spread, effect (allergies, intolerances, cancer formation etc.) and the elimination of nano materials with biological test systems
• forecasting the behaviour of nano materials in the environment (air, ground, water) and their eco systems using compiled research data
• developing robust measuring procedures, with which nano particles can be characterised at the work place for instance and be subjected to a quantity analysis.

Its results lead to:

• protection measures in the work place (e.g. production in closed, automated systems, emission hoods, protective clothing)
• environmental protection measures (e.g. emission protection)
• development of new safety standards, adjustment of legislation (e.g. chemical law, medication law, cosmetic law, food law)
• measures for consumer information and consumer protection.

Photo 2: "Measuring ultra fine particles". Federal society for industrial safety and work medicine/Sabine Plitzko; Photo 3: Rainer Sturm/aboutpixel.de; Photo 4: Sven Schneider/aboutpixel.de;