Testing ethical impact assessment for nano risk governance

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Risk Governance
• Ethical Impact Assessment

Background:

• Traditional risk governance for nanomaterials focuses on assessment, management, and life cycle analysis.
• Emerging approaches advocate for integrating economic, social, and ethical dimensions.
• The RiskGONE project aims to advance comprehensive risk governance strategies for nanotechnologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test and evaluate ethical impact assessment guidelines and tools.
• To adapt existing standards, specifically CEN Workshop Agreement part 2 CWA 17145-2:2017 (E), for nanomaterial risk governance.
• To gather stakeholder feedback on the usability and effectiveness of these tools.

Main Methods:

• Implementation and testing of ethical impact assessment tools.
• Adaptation of the CEN Workshop Agreement part 2 CWA 17145-2:2017 (E) standard.
• Collection and analysis of stakeholder feedback through surveys and workshops.

Main Results:

• The tested ethical impact assessment tools demonstrated potential for broader risk governance.
• Stakeholders provided valuable feedback on the practical application and areas for improvement.
• Adaptation of the CWA 17145-2:2017 (E) standard proved feasible for supporting nanomaterial risk governance.

Conclusions:

• Ethical impact assessment can effectively supplement traditional risk governance frameworks for nanomaterials.
• Stakeholder engagement is crucial for refining and implementing these extended governance tools.
• The adapted guidelines offer a pathway towards more holistic and responsible innovation in nanotechnology.