December 2, 2005 External Review Draft U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EXTERNAL REVIEW DRAFT Nanotechnology White Paper Prepared for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by members of the Nanotechnology Workgroup, a group of EPA’s Science Policy Council Science Policy Council U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20460 NOTICE This document is an external review draft. It has not been formally released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and should not at this stage be construed to represent Agency position. Draft Nanotechnology White Paper – External Review Draft DISCLAIMER Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement of recommendation for use. Note: This is an external review draft, and is not approved for final publication. ii Draft Nanotechnology White Paper – External Review Draft Nanotechnology White Paper Workgroup Co-Chairs Jeff Morris Jim Willis Office of Research and Development Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances Science Policy Council Staff Kathryn Gallagher Office of the Science Advisor Subgroup Co-Chairs External Coordination Ecological Effects Risk Management Steve Lingle, ORD Anne Fairbrother, ORD Flora Chow, OPPT Dennis Utterback, ORD Vince Nabholz, OPPTS EPA Research Strategy Human Exposures Converging Technologies Barbara Karn, ORD Scott Prothero, OPPT Nora Savage, ORD Risk Assessment Environmental Fate Pollution Prevention Phil Sayre, OPPTS John Scalera, OEI Walter Schoepf, Region 2 Bob Boethling, OPPTS Physical-Chemical Environmental Detection Sustainability and Society Properties and Analysis Michael Brody, OCFO Tracy Williamson, OPPTS John Scalera, OEI Diana Bauer, ORD Richard Zepp, ORD Health Effects Statutes, Regulations, and Public Communications Kevin Dreher, ORD Policies and Outreach Deborah Burgin, OPEI Jim Alwood, OPPT Anita Street, ORD iii Draft Nanotechnology White Paper – External Review Draft Workgroup Members Suzanne Ackerman, OPA Edna Kapust, OPPTS Kent Anapolle, OPPTS Nagu Keshava, ORD Fred Arnold, OPPTS David Lai, OPPTS Ayaad Assaad, OPPTS Skip Laitner, OAR Dan Axelrad, OPEI Warren Layne, Region 5 John Bartlett, OPPTS Do Young Lee, OPPTS Diana Bauer, ORD Virginia Lee, OPPTS Sarah Bauer, ORD Monique Lester, OARM on detail OIA John Blouin, OPPT Michael Lewandowski, ORD Jim Blough, Region 5 Laurence Libelo, OPPTS Pat Bonner, OPEI Bill Linak, ORD William Boyes, ORD David Lynch, OPPTS Gordon Cash, OPPTS Tanya Maslak, OSA intern Gilbert Castellanos, OIA Paul Matthai, OPPT Tai-Ming Chang, Region 3 Carl Mazza, OAR Teri Conner, ORD Nhan Nguyen, OPPTS Paul Cough, OIA Carlos Nunez, ORD Lynn Delpire, OPPTS Onyemaechi Nweke, OPEI John Diamante, OIA Marti Otto, OSWER Christine Dibble, OPA Manisha Patel, OGC Thomas Forbes, OEI Steve Potts, OW Conrad Flessner, OPPTS Mary Reiley, OW Jack Fowle, ORD Mary Ross, OAR Sarah Furtak, OW Bill Russo, ORD Hend Galal-Gorchev, OW Mavis Sanders, OEI David Giamporcaro, OPPTS Bernie Schorle, Region 5 Michael Gill, ORD liaison for Region 9 Paul Solomon, ORD Tala Henry, OW Maggie Theroux-Fieldsteel, Region 1 Collette Hodes, OPPTS Stephanie Thornton, OW Gene Jablonowski, Region 5 Alan Van Arsdale, Region 1 Joe Jarvis, ORD William Wallace, ORD Y’vonne Jones-Brown, OPPTS Barb Walton, ORD iv Draft Nanotechnology White Paper – External Review Draft Table of Contents FOREWORD .....................................................................................................................................................VII ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................................... VIII ACRONYMS....................................................................................................................................................... IX EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................................1 1.0 INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................................3 1.1 PURPOSE ........................................................................................................................................................3 1.2 NANOTECHNOLOGY DEFINED ........................................................................................................................4 1.3 WHY NANOTECHNOLOGY IS IMPORTANT TO EPA .........................................................................................9 1.4 WHAT EPA IS DOING WITH RESPECT TO NANOTECHNOLOGY......................................................................10 1.5 CONTEXT FOR EPA’S ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE ROLES ............................................................................10 1.6 COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH ..............................................................................................................15 1.7 OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES..............................................................................................................15 2.0 ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY ................................................................17 2.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................17 2.2 BENEFITS THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS.........................................................17 2.3 BENEFITS THROUGH OTHER APPLICATIONS THAT SUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY .............................................19 3.0 RISK MANAGEMENT AND STATUTES .................................................................................................24 3.1 RISK MANAGEMENT ....................................................................................................................................24 3.2 STATUTES ....................................................................................................................................................26 4.0 RISK ASSESSMENT OF NANOMATERIALS .........................................................................................33 4.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................33 4.2 CHEMICAL IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NANOMATERIALS ..............................................34 4.3 ENVIRONMENTAL FATE OF NANOMATERIALS..............................................................................................35 4.4 ENVIRONMENTAL DETECTION AND ANALYSIS OF NANOMATERIALS ...........................................................42 4.6 HUMAN HEALTH EFFECTS OF NANOMATERIALS..........................................................................................52 4.7 ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF NANOMATERIALS................................................................................................57 5.0 EPA’S RESEARCH NEEDS FOR NANOMATERIALS ..........................................................................62 5.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................62 5.2 RESEARCH NEEDS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS ............................................................................62 5.3 CHEMICAL IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION ................................................................................64 5.4 ENVIRONMENTAL FATE RESEARCH NEEDS..................................................................................................64 5.5 ENVIRONMENTAL DETECTION AND ANALYSIS RESEARCH NEEDS ...............................................................67 5.6 RELEASES AND HUMAN EXPOSURES............................................................................................................67 5.7 HUMAN HEALTH EFFECTS ASSESSMENT RESEARCH NEEDS ........................................................................68 5.8 ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS RESEARCH NEEDS....................................................................................................70 5.9 RISK ASSESSMENT RESEARCH NEEDS..........................................................................................................72 6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS...............................................................................................................................73 6.1 POLLUTION PREVENTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP RECOMMENDATIONS................................73 6.2 RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................................................................................74 6.3 RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADDRESS OVERARCHING RISK ASSESSMENT NEEDS.............................................80 6.4 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COLLABORATIONS...............................................................................................80 6.5 RECOMMENDATION TO CONVENE A CROSS-AGENCY WORKGROUP ............................................................81 6.6 RECOMMENDATION FOR TRAINING ..............................................................................................................81 v Draft Nanotechnology White Paper – External Review Draft 6.7 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................................................................82 7.0 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................................83