Safe Development of Nanotechnology

The conference will present current thinking about what the proper risk assessments and protections should be, and what further tools or protocols are necessary, so that the development of new and useful products will not be impeded. The conference will feature presentations on the following topics: EPA’s White Paper; Woodrow Wilson Institute’s perspective; the Environmental Defense/Dupont Risk Assessment Framework; EU initiatives; TURI’s conference; legal, policy, and economic considerations; life-cycle perspective; the adequacy of traditional tests and test organisms; new dermal, inhalation, and ingestion risks; biodegradability; reactivity; and physical characteristics. More than 70 entities now known to be developing nanotechnology will be invited. At the conference there will be several opportunities to share information, so that the event is an exchange and open forum, as well as an opportunity to hear from experts. The goal of the event will be to extract and present practical suggestions from the presentations and to structure discussions so that they produce policy recommendations and consensus outcomes.