A Definition and Categorization System for Advanced Materials: The Foundation for Risk-Informed Environmental Health and Safety Testing

Details

• Personal Author:
  Brame J ; Geraci, Charles L. ; Hill C ; Hull M ; Kennedy A ; Linkov I ; Rycroft T ; Weiss C Jr. ; Wood M ; Zemba V
• Description:
  Novel materials with unique or enhanced properties relative to conventional materials are being developed at an increasing rate. These materials are often referred to as advanced materials (AdMs) and they enable technological innovations that can benefit society. Despite their benefits, however, the unique characteristics of many AdMs, including many nanomaterials, are poorly understood and may pose environmental safety and occupational health (ESOH) risks that are not readily determined by traditional risk assessment methods. To assess these risks while keeping up with the pace of development, technology developers and risk assessors frequently employ risk-screening methods that depend on a clear definition for the materials that are to be assessed (e.g., engineered nanomaterial) as well as a method for binning materials into categories for ESOH risk prioritization. The term advanced material lacks a consensus definition and associated categorization or grouping system for risk screening. In this study, we aim to establish a practitioner-driven definition for AdMs and a practitioner-validated framework for categorizing AdMs into conceptual groupings based on material characteristics. Results from multiple workshops and interviews with practitioners provide consistent differentiation between AdMs and conventional materials, offer functional nomenclature for application science, and provide utility for future ESOH risk assessment prioritization. The definition and categorization framework established here serve as a first step in determining if and when there is a need for specific ESOH and regulatory screening for an AdM as well as the type and extent of risk-related information that should be collected or generated for AdMs and AdM-enabled technologies. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Exposure Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Advanced Materials Author Keywords: Advanced Materials Definition And Categorization Environmental Exposure Environmental Safety And Occupational Health Grouping Health Effects Materials Testing Nanomaterials Risk Assessment Risk Prioritization

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• ISSN:
  0272-4332
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; Mississippi ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  EID - Education and Information Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  39
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055350
• Citation:
  Risk Anal 2019 Aug; 39(8):1783-1795
• Contact Point Address:
  Taylor Rycroft, Environmental Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Vicksburg, MS 39180
• Email:
  taylor.e.rycroft@usace.army.mil
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Risk Analysis
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:cdd78944689ba5971d4661bd1901121ee572318c5f3b9e825e87eda0e1ba474b3d8f75b076cd5e5b10f95ae9e25299cc49cbf923c908209c42b81bf9d77616bb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217679/cdc_217679_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 957.99 KB ]