The challenges of nanotechnology risk management

• Risk assessments that includes decision analyses are important to balance risks with technological benefits and costs.
• Traditional bottom-up approaches are essential to risk assessment.
• Top-down approaches developed in decision analysis are necessary to risk management efforts.
• Risk-benefit tradeoffs are crucial for communication and for nanomaterial design towards sustainable nanotechnology.
• Advances in informatics could accelerate research and development in nanotoxicology and exposure science.

SummaryRecent developments in the design of advanced materials have furthered interest in the commercialization of new technologies. Central to this rapid technology revolution is the consideration of the potential environmental, health, and safety (EHS) risks associated with nanomaterials. Risk assessment has been proposed as a primary method to evaluate EHS risk and decision making, where risk assessment practitioners seek to understand what can go wrong, its likelihood of occurrence, and the ultimate consequences if it should arise. Here, we outlined recent efforts geared toward risk assessment for nanotechnologies and nanomaterials, and discuss the challenges associated with providing accurate risk information to policymakers and regulators. Risk assessment that includes analytical approaches will provide decision makers with adaptive guidance regarding how to balance risks with technological benefits and costs, communicate those trade-offs, and change nanomaterial design toward sustainable nanotechnology.

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