Pitch Presentation - Strategies to assess the health and environmental risks of exposure to bio-based nanomaterials
Creators: name: Martins, Carla F.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022

description: <strong>Background, Motivation and Objective </strong> <em>Concerns about the environment and the consumption of natural resources arise from the abusive behaviour of human activities on the extraction of materials and waste generation, which impacts are already being significantly observed. Currently, the global trend of moving towards a bio-based and circular economy is opening doors for a more responsible and sustainable utilization of bio-resources [1]. Therefore, renewable resources, such as natural fibres (cellulose and lignin), are increasingly emerging as innovative sustainable solutions, leading to the replacement of fossil-based materials. </em> <em>Both nanoscience and nanotechnology growing fields have been demonstrated potential to transform the industry by introducing innovative materials that can help to reach the goals of climate-neutral, zero-pollution, sustainable and circular economy policies of the European Commission’s Green Deal.</em> <em>BIOMAC (European Sustainable BIO-based nanoMAterials Community) is a Horizon2020 project that will establish an Open Innovation Test Bed (OITB), a true collaborative ecosystem where technologies and solutions utilising nano-enabled bio-based materials will be upscaled and prepared for market applications. In BIOMAC, nanocellulose, nanolignin and biochar nanoparticles will be added in the biopolymeric matrices to induce new functionalities, with the ultimate goal to obtain bio-based nanocomposites with enhanced performance (i.e., thermal stability, flame retardancy, enhanced mechanical, antibacterial properties, etc.), appropriate for the manufacturing of final marketable products.</em> <em>Although it has been assumed bio-based nanomaterials are safe, the new physicochemical properties, size, shape, surface area, reactivity, among others, might induce new hazards which will have inherently an impact on their safety [2]. To promote responsible design and development of nanomaterials and products, several approaches have been emerging. This study describes a set of approaches, frameworks and tools concerning the risk exposure assessment to nanomaterials. The risk exposure to nanocellulose, nanolignin and biochar nanoparticles will be assessed, having in mind a safe and sustainable development. Due to a limit knowledge of the interaction of these nanomaterials with the workers, users/consumers and environment, the risk assessment methodology follows a life cycle thinking. An evaluation of the risks will be performed in each stage of the life cycle of the bio-based nanomaterials, aiming to promote proactive actions to manage the identified risks.</em> <strong>Statement of Contribution/Methods </strong> <em>The uncertainties and knowledge gaps associated to the nanomaterials adverse effects on human health and environment, in all stages of the innovative processes, is leading to the creation of conceptual approaches, frameworks and assessment methodologies. Safe-by-Design (SbD) was not created especially for nanomaterials, although it has been applied to innovation in nanotechnology aiming at the development of functional and safe nanomaterials and products. In a similar systematic approach which emerged more recently, the safe- and sustainable- by design (SSbD) addresses the sustainability aspects of materials and products under development, being considered as a pre-market approach [3, 4]. One practical example of using these approaches is for instance to moderate or minimize biological responses of nanomaterials by surface modification. Risk prevention principles used along with a tiered approach to perform risk assessment, provide useful resources for the SSbD approach.</em> <em>The tiered approach is a systematic, cost-effective, consistent, practical and flexible approach, which is based on established measurement methods. This approach enables to discriminate and quantify engineered nanoparticles from background and , thus, support the occupational risk assessment and the decision-making on the implementation of control measures [5]. It does not intend to exclude the health-based strategy of evaluating the nanomaterial toxicity, on the contrary, the tiered approach is useful for a better understanding of the potential risks in occupational settings and for the implementation of a more adequate action, to the detriment of a more conservative approach.[6]. The identification of scenarios with higher potential exposure to nanomaterials, complemented with in-situ monitoring activities, can help to better direct resources for a detailed toxicological evaluation. Human and environmental hazard assessment will be done employing different in vitro cellular models, following standardised test guidelines.</em> <em>In the present work several frameworks will be used as guides to systematically identify and assess the potential risks of nanocellulose and nanolignin, from occupational, consumers and environmental exposure through the nanomaterials life cycle. Some examples are: Nano LCRA [6], MARINA Risk assessment strategy [7] and NANoREG [8]. All these frameworks consider a common base which is settled on a screening-level risk assessment in all stages of the nanomaterial life cycle. Besides the frameworks, risk screening or control banding tools are often used to estimate the exposure, select risk control measures or to assess the benefits and risks of the nanomaterials and nanoproducts. LICARA nanoSCAN [9] and Stoffenmanager Nano [10] tools will be used to assess the exposure risks of workers, users/consumers and environment to the bio-based nanomaterials developed during BIOMAC project, and to estimate the inhalation exposure in occupational settings.</em>