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New ISO Technical Report Guides Characterisation of Nanomaterials in Toxicology
Created by assoceditor on 15/06/2012 15:13:19

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) recently published a Technical Report (TR) that provides guidance on the physicochemical characterisation of manufactured nano-objects prior to toxicological assessment.

ISO TR 13014:2012, "Nanotechnologies - Guidance on physicochemical characterization of engineered nanoscale materials for toxicologic assessment", is intended to assist health scientists and experts to understand, plan, identify, and address relevant physicochemical characteristics of nano-objects before conducting toxicological tests on them.

That Technical Report was prepared by ISO TC 229, Nanotechnologies,Working Group (WG) 3, Health, Safety and Environment, under the project leadership of Dr. Richard Pleus of the United States. This group is U.S.-led, operating under the leadership of Dr. Laurie Locascio of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Dr. Vladimir Murashov of the National Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) serves as the WG 3 chair for the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to ISO TC 229, which is accredited and administered by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). 

“By understanding the chemical and physical characteristics of nano-objects, we are working to decrease toxicity of materials and promote the development of safer alternatives,” said Dr. Pleus. “The work done in this document has a fundamental importance in toxicology, as it tells scientists the material being tested needs to be understood: What does it look like? What is it made of? How does it interact with the surrounding environment?”

Nanotechnology, which refers to the manipulation and control of matter in the nanoscale (approximately 1 to 100 nm), is revolutionizing virtually all industry sectors, from information technology to medicine to clean energy production. The ANSI-administered U.S. TAG to ISO TC 229 is responsible for formulating all U.S. positions and proposals with regard to ISO standardization in the field of nanotechnology.

“The U.S. has been an active participant and effective leader within ISO TC 229 since the formation of the committee in 2005, playing a key role in influencing the strategic and technical direction of the committee’s standardization initiatives,” said Fran Schrotter, senior vice president and chief operating officer at ANSI.

Participation on the U.S. TAG to ISO TC 229 is open to all materially affected U.S. national interested parties. 

Source: ANSI

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