OECD Tour De Table Summarizes Advances in Nanomaterial Safety

In December 2024, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published a report on national and international nanomaterial safety developments from July 2023 to June 2024. The report, Developments in Delegations on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials and Advanced Materials between July 2023 and June 2024 – Tour de Table, includes risk assessment decisions, risk management approaches, good practice documents, research projects, and efforts to implement the OECD recommendation on the safety testing/assessment of nanomaterials. 

Nanomaterials addressed in the Tour De Table include graphene, MXenes, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), nanofibers, nanoplastics, metals, and metal oxides. Industries/applications mentioned include manufacturing, food, energy, electronics, construction, automotive, 3D printing, and textiles. The report also highlights methods being developed to assess the effects of nanomaterials on various human and environmental health endpoints. 

The Tour De Table emphasizes the role of consortia/councils in harmonizing of efforts, communicating with stakeholders, and developing regulatory frameworks and safety research, such as projects funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe program for research and innovation. Many projects aim to develop New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) that can be used for resource-efficient risk assessments. Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) approaches (e.g., grouping strategies, safety screening tools) are also being implemented. Project outputs include regulatory or safety testing roadmaps, decision-making tools, OECD Test Guidelines (TGs) and Guidance Documents (GDs), life cycle assessments (LCAs), and life-cycle risk assessments (LCRAs). 

Resources from these nanomaterial safety developments have been published in white pages, scientific literature, and OECD member countries environmental regulatory repositories.