OECD Publishes Project Report on Chemical Accidents Involving Nanomaterials

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published a document entitled Chemical Accidents Involving Nanomaterials: Potential Risks and Review of Prevention, Preparedness and Response Measures — Project Report. Part of OECD’s series on chemical accidents, the document presents the outcome from a project of the OECD Working Party on Chemical Accidents (WPCA) that aimed to investigate safety issues related to the prevention of, preparedness for, and response to accidents involving manufactured nanomaterials. The objectives of the project were to:

• Address potential risks for humans and the environment resulting from accidents involving manufactured nanomaterials, for example, accidental releases of larger quantities of nanomaterials into the area surrounding an establishment; and
• Review measures for prevention of, preparedness for, and response to accidents involving nanomaterials.

The report is aimed at policy makers and regulators in charge of chemical accidents not yet familiar with safety issues regarding nanomaterials. The report was prepared using existing academic papers and relevant reports from governments and international organizations. The report intends to introduce briefly issues related to chemical accidents involving nanomaterials and to serve as a gateway to guide readers into more detailed information sources.