Simple, robust and cost-effective approaches to guide industry in the development of safer nanomaterials and nano-enabled products

The main objective of SAbyNA is to develop an overarching integrative and interactive web-based guideline “The SAbyNA Guidance Platform”, to support the development of safer nano-enabled products with advanced functionalities tailored to different industrial sectors.

The guideline will consist of a step-by-step approach to identify potential risks and to indicate options for managing these risks, both by adapting the design of the product and by adapting the production process; safer nanoforms (NFs) and nano-enabled products (NEPs), safer nano processes over the whole life cycle. As a case study within SAbyNA, 3D printing and paint are used, where exposure to nanomaterials is possible. Within SAbyNA, there is a close collaboration between 17 partners from government, research institutes and industry from Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, Finland, France, Sweden, the United States and the Netherlands. The project is coordinated by LEITAT, a Spanish Technological Center. 

With its unique combination of regulatory and scientific knowledge in the field of nanotechnology, RIVM can contribute to a guideline for the development of safe nanotechnology products (safe-by-design). RIVM has scientific knowledge and expertise on test methods and models to map out the health effects of nanomaterials. In addition, RIVM has knowledge about the regulatory frameworks in order to gather the right information needed to estimate health risks. 
The project is starting 1st of March 2020 and will finish March 2024.

RIVM role

RIVM leads Work Package WP3: Streamlined methodologies, models and tools to facilitate hazard assessment of NFs/ NEPs for safe-by-design purposes. As a Work Package leader, RIVM will provide guidance on which methods are suitable to identify risks of nanotechnology products at an early stage in the innovation process. RIVM will develop a hazard strategy specific for safe-by-design purposes. RIVM will also conduct experiments in the lab the evaluate the hazard strategy using real case studies. The results will be published in the public scientific literature.

RIVM colleague involved: Hedwig Braakhuis, Margriet Park, Susan Dekkers and Flemming Cassee

Funding

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 862419