NanoSafe Australia
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The NanoSafe Australia network is a group of Australian toxicologists and risk assessors, who have formed a research network to address the issues concerning the occupational and environmental health and safety of nanomaterials.
Our Mission
- To support government, industry and non-government organisations (NGOs) in their efforts to understand the health and safety issues surrounding nanotechnology products and their manufacturing processes.
- To provide quality data for the appropriate risk assessments of nanomaterials.
Links
- Two major reviews for Safe Work Australia have been published:
- "Engineered nanomaterials: Investigating substitution and modification options to reduce potential hazards" (Jackson N., Tepe S. and Wright P.; RMIT University). Safe Work Australia, Commonwealth of Australia publication. Online publication date: 1 Aug. 2010. ISBN 978-0-642-33100-7. 81 pages.
- "Engineered nanomaterials: Evidence of the effectiveness of workplace controls to prevent exposure" (Jackson N., Lopata A., Elms T. and Wright P.; RMIT University). Safe Work Australia, Commonwealth of Australia publication. Online publication date: 4 November 2009. ISBN: 978-0-642-32884-7. 82 pages.
- Reports by other NanoSafe Australia members on carbon nanotubes and photocopier emissions are also available at Safe Work Australia's nanotechnology publications webpage.
- Our original NanoSafe Australia position paper – "Current OHS best practices for the Australian Nanotechnology Industry" (PDF 291KB 18p). A modified version of this position report has also been published as: Harford A., Edwards J., Priestly B. and Wright P. (2007) "Current OHS best practices for the Australian Nanotechnology industry." Journal of Occupational Health and Safety - Australia and New Zealand, 23(4):315-331. ISSN 0815-6409.
- NanoSafe Australia is a group member of the Australian Nanotechnology Network (ANN), (formerly the Australian Research Council Nanotechnology Network, ARCNN) directly providing OHS advice on issues relating to the safe handling of nanomaterials.
- Providing nanosafety expertise to the Standards Australia Committee NT-001 "Nanotechnologies" (via Wright as ANN's representative), which participates in International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee "TC 229 Nanotechnologies".
- NanoSafe Australia members are the main contributors to the Australian Consortium for the nanosafety testing programme of the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN) – fulfilling Australia's commitment to be co-sponsors of the investigation of silver, zinc oxide and ceria OECD test nanomaterials (which include two nanomaterials provided by Australian companies).
- The 2012 International Conference On Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICONN 2012) was hosted by ANN on 5-9 February 2012 in Perth, Australia. This was a very successful joint conference with the 10th Asia-Pacific Microscopy Conference (APMC 10) and the 22nd Australian Conference on Microscopy and Microanalysis (ACMM 22).
- Recent invited opinion piece for COSMOS magazine (Sept. 12, 2011), "Warning: contains nanotech" – an evidence-based discussion of nanosunscreen-related issues.
Contact
Associate Professor Paul Wright, NanoSafe Australia Coordinator