Nanotechnology is identified as a key enabling technology due to its potential to contribute to economic growth and societal well-being across industrial sectors. Sustainable nanotechnology requires a scientifically based and proportionate risk governance structure to support innovation, including a robust framework for environmental risk assessment (ERA) that ideally builds on methods established for conventional chemicals to ensure alignment and avoid duplication. Exposure assessment developed as a tiered approach is equally beneficial to nano-specific ERA as for other classes of chemicals. Here we present the developing knowledge, practical considerations and key principles need to support exposure assessment for engineered nanomaterials for regulatory and research applications.

纳米技术被认为是一项关键的使能技术，因为它具有促进整个工业部门的经济增长和社会福祉的潜力。可持续的纳米技术需要以科学为基础的，成比例的风险治理结构来支持创新，包括一个强大的环境风险评估（ERA）框架，该框架理想地基于为常规化学品建立的方法来确保对齐并避免重复。与其他类别的化学药品一样，以分层方法开发的接触评估对纳米特定ERA同样有利。在这里，我们介绍了用于支持监管和研究应用的工程纳米材料的暴露评估所需的发展知识，实践考虑和关键原则。