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

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Risk Assessment
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Advanced materials (AdMs) offer societal benefits but pose poorly understood environmental safety and occupational health (ESOH) risks.
• Traditional risk assessment methods struggle with the unique properties of many AdMs, including nanomaterials.
• A lack of consensus definition and categorization hinders effective risk screening for AdMs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a practitioner-driven definition for advanced materials (AdMs).
• To develop a practitioner-validated framework for categorizing AdMs into conceptual groupings for risk assessment.
• To facilitate ESOH risk prioritization for AdMs and AdM-enabled technologies.

Main Methods:

• Conducted workshops and interviews with technology developers and risk assessors.
• Gathered practitioner insights to differentiate AdMs from conventional materials.
• Developed a categorization framework based on material characteristics.

Main Results:

• Established a clear definition for AdMs and a functional nomenclature.
• Created a validated framework for conceptual grouping of AdMs.
• Provided a basis for determining ESOH and regulatory screening needs for AdMs.

Conclusions:

• The developed definition and categorization framework are crucial first steps for AdM risk assessment.
• This work supports the timely and appropriate collection of risk-related information for AdMs.
• The framework aids in determining the necessity and scope of ESOH and regulatory screening for novel materials.