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An EPA database on the effects of engineered nanomaterials-NaKnowBase
William K Boyes1, Bradley Beach2, Gayle Chan2,3
1Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC, 27709, USA.
Scientific Data
|January 21, 2022
Summary
The US EPA developed NaKnowBase, a database of engineered nanomaterial (ENM) research. It details ENM environmental release, fate, transport, exposure, and effects, aiding risk assessment.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Toxicology
- Materials Science
Background:
- Emerging materials and technologies, particularly engineered nanomaterials (ENM), require risk assessment.
- The US EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) initiated a research program to address these potential risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a comprehensive knowledge base of published ORD research on engineered nanomaterials.
- To consolidate experimental data on the environmental and biological actions of ENM.
Main Methods:
- A relational SQL database, NaKnowBase (NKB), was created to store research findings.
- Data includes ENM physicochemical properties, experimental assays, parameters, and results.
- NKB can be queried via SQL or a web interface, with results exportable to spreadsheets.
Main Results:
- The database contains experimental data on ENM release, environmental fate, transport, and transformations.
- Information covers exposure to ecological species and humans, and potential effects.
- Physicochemical properties and assay details are captured for each ENM studied.
Conclusions:
- NaKnowBase serves as a valuable resource for understanding ENM risks.
- The data can support quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) and meta-analyses.
- NKB facilitates further investigative approaches into the environmental and biological impacts of ENM.
