The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), administrator of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for International Standards Organization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) 229, announces the publication of a new ISO Technical Report (TR) which can help assess the environmental impact of nanomaterials. The 26-page document, ISO TR 21386, NanotechnologiesConsiderations for the measurement of nano-objects and their aggregates and agglomerates (NOAA) in environmental matrices, can be utilized by industry and academic institutions as well as regulators focused on environmental stewardship.
ISO TR 21386 was developed by ISO TC 229, Working Group (WG) 3, Health, safety and environment. WG 3 is U.S. led, operating under the leadership of Dr. Vladimir Murashov of the Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety. Dr. Richard Pleus of Intertox is the WG 3 Chair for the ANSI-accredited U.S. TAG to ISO TC 229, with leadership for this project provided by Dr. Raymond David, a member from the American Chemistry Council's Nanotechnology Panel.
"This document provides insight into collecting, preparing, and analyzing engineered NOAA found in the environment. It helps the investigator understand what influences background levels of naturally-occurring nanomaterials, and provides examples of how samples are collected from environmental media," said Dr. David.
Among the essential topics pertaining to environmental safety, the report provides useful information on how investigators should respond to several questions or issues that commonly arise:
ANSI administers the U.S. TAG for ISO TC 229, which was formally established in June 2005 to progress standardization in nanotechnology. Participation is open to all materially affected U.S. national interested parties. For more information, please contact the TAG administrator, Heather Benko, [email protected].