Environmental Defense Fund: Finding the Ways That Work

DuPont

Feedback from Tsung-Tsan Su

ITRI

Posted on: March 27, 2007

To whom it may concern,

My feedback regarding the Nano Risk Framework is as follow:

  1. There are two categories for nano risk. One is non-intended risk. The other is voluntary risk (For example, nanomedicine or some cosmetics). I believe that we need two different frameworks. The one proposed by Environmental Defense-DuPont is for non-intended risk.
  2. It is good to have a general framework to start with. Many data will be required. I suggest we divide the data set into three: must to have, better to have, and not necessary. For must to have, we need to know whether it is available. It is nice to see the framework providing the sources and references. But I don't know if the existing data is accurate and sufficient. Also, the issue dealing with confidential information should be addressed, for example surface treatment information.
  3. One of the features of nanomaterials is many possible applications. It may cause difficulties. I suggest you could use Carbon Nanotube as an example to test the feasibility of this framework. I wonder whether a nanoproduct with specific application and exposure routes will be easier to have a risk framework.