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NANOMET: Towards tailored safety testing methods for nanomaterials

The OECD explores many aspects of manufactured nanomaterial safety, one of them being the need to have internationally standardised test methods to characterise nanomaterials, their physical-chemical properties, environmental fate, effects on environmental species and on human health.

NANOMET: Towards tailored safety testing methods for nanomaterials

The OECD explores many aspects of manufactured nanomaterial safety, one of them being the need to have internationally standardised test methods to characterise nanomaterials, their physical-chemical properties, environmental fate, effects on environmental species and on human health.

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What's so special about Nanomaterials?

Nanomaterials are up to 10 000 times smaller than the width of a human hair and are found in many products from paints to cosmetics. Yet they may have a big impact on our everyday life. So what is so special about nanomaterials? Nanomaterials may have different properties compared to the same substance in bulk form. That means that a material could change when it goes from bulk to nanoform, but at what size that happens varies depending on the substance.

Just like any other chemical substance, nanomaterials have to be assessed for their safety using appropriate tools and methodologies. For that reason, the OECD Programme on Manufactured Nanomaterials and the OECD Test Guidelines Programme collaborate to identify and develop standardised methods that can be used to generate relevant and reliable data. To intensify this endeavor and support the OECD, a three-year project called NANOMET, funded by the European Union has been launched in May 2020.

Webinar: Determination of the Hydrophobicity Index of Nanomaterials Through an Affinity Measurement (Test Guideline No. 126)

On 20 September, the OECD presented the method to determine the hydrophobicity index (Hy) of nanomaterials (NMs), through an affinity measurement, described in the OECD Test Guideline No. 126. In this TG, Hydrophobicity is defined as "the association of non-polar groups or molecules in an aqueous environment which arises from the tendency of water to exclude non-polar molecules". By measuring their binding rate to different engineered surfaces (collectors), Hy expresses the tendency of the NMs to favour the binding to a non-polar (hydrophobic) surface because of its low affinity for water. The method applies to NMs dispersed in an aqueous solution or to NM powders after their dispersions in aqueous solutions, with or without a surfactant, using a recommended protocol. Through this webinar, you will be able to learn the use and limitation of this Test Guideline, as well as on the validation exercise that was done to support its development.

Access the presentation. Watch the video replay in Spanish - El video está disponible en español

Development or revisions of OECD Test Guidelines and Guidance Documents Applicable for Nanomaterials

The OECD and NanoHarmony released a report summarising the current status of projects to develop or adapt the OECD Test Guideline (TGs) and Guidance Documents (GDs) for nanomaterials as well as the outlook per project. The list was compiled in a common effort by EU projects NanoHarmony and NANOMET and is intended to be a living document that will be updated regularly.

This information was prepared by the OECD Secretariat and NanoHarmony, and is made available under the responsibility of the OECD Secretariat for the purpose of information sharing.

Missed our past events? Watch the video recordings

Webinar: Particle Size and Size Distribution of Nanomaterials: OECD Test Guideline 125 (7 February 2023)

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The recording is available in Spanish.

International NanoHarmony and NANOMET Workshop on nano-related OECD Test Guideline Development (29 and 30 June 2022)

Watch the live stream (Day 1 - Day 2).

Webinar: Assessing the dispersion stability and dissolution rate of nanomaterials in the environment (25 February 2021)

Presentations:
- Introduction
- Test Guideline No. 318: Dispersion Stability of Nanomaterials in Simulated Environmental Media and its accompanying Guidance Document

The recording is available in Spanish.

Webinar: Guidance document No. 317 on aquatic & sediment ecotoxicity testing of nanomaterials (26 January 2021)

Presentations:
- Introduction
- Guidance Document 317 on Aquatic and Sediment Ecotoxicity Testing of Nanomaterials

The recording is available in Spanish.

Test Guidelines and Guidance Documents on Nanomaterials

TEST GUIDELINE

Test No. 126: Determination of the Volume Specific Surface Area of Manufactured Nanomaterials

This Test Guideline (TG) describes a method to determine the hydrophobicity index (Hy) of nanomaterials (NMs), through an affinity measurement.

©OECD, 2023

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TEST GUIDELINE

Test No. 125: Nanomaterial Particle Size and Size Distribution of Nanomaterials

This Test Guideline, covering nanomaterials spanning from 1 nm to 1000 nm, is intended for particle size and particle size distribution measurements of nanomaterials.

©OECD, 2022

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TEST GUIDELINE

Test No. 124: Determination of the Volume Specific Surface Area of Manufactured Nanomaterials

This Test Guideline (TG) describes a harmonised procedure to determine the Volume Specific Surface Area (VSSA) of powdered solid manufactured nanomaterials (MNs).

©OECD, 2022

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Test Guideline

Test No. 318: Dispersion stability in simulated environmental media

The main purpose of this guideline is to assess the ability of a nanomaterial to attain a colloidal dispersion and to conserve this dispersion under environmentally relevant conditions. The test procedure involves a dispersion of the nanomaterial with the aid of a calibrated sonication procedure and the determination of the mass concentration of the nanomaterial in a set of test vials while the particles undergo homoagglomeration and settling in environments of different hydrochemistry.

©OECD 2017

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GUIDANCE DOCUMENT

Guidance Document on testing Nanomaterials using OECD TG No. 312 “Leaching in soil columns"

This document provides specific guidance for test preparation, implementation, performance, analysis and reporting using the OECD TG No. 312 for testing the mobility and retention of NMs in different types of soils.

©OECD 2021

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Guidance document

Guidance document No. 318: Solubility and dissolution rate

This document provides guidance on methods to address solubility and dissolution rate of nanomaterials, which are crucial to predict their fate and behaviour in the environment and for understanding the changes in their bioavailability, reactivity, fate, and toxicity. It also addresses nanomaterials-specific modifications or additions to the procedures described in the test methods and aims to give support for the interpretation of the test results.

©OECD 2021

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Guidance document

Guidance document No. 317: Aquatic and sediment ecotoxicity testing

This document provides guidance for aquatic (including sediment) ecotoxicity testing of nanomaterials for the purposes of determining their hazard. It addresses practical aspects of carrying out valid tests on nanomaterials, and modifications or additions to OECD Test Guidelines procedures intended to incrementally improve the accuracy of test results.

©OECD 2021

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Tools, Validation and Study Reports

STUDY REPORT

Study Report on Applicability of the key event-based TG 442

This document summarises the findings from an evaluation of the KeratinoSensTM test method (TG442D), which was performed on nine manufactured nanomaterials (MNM) and three positive controls for which some information on their sensitisation potential was available. The results were evaluated, which led to recommendations regarding adaptations needed for the use of TG 442D in nanomaterials.

©OECD 2021

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VALIDATION REPORT

Study Report on a test for removal in wastewater treatment plants of gold manufactured nanomaterial

The increased production and a wide range of uses for manufactured nanomaterials (MN) in commercial products and applications would suggest that a portion of these MNs will make their way to waste water treatment plants (WWTP). Therefore, information on the affinity of MNs for suspended solids is needed to assess the possibility of their removal by wastewater treatment systems.

©OECD 2021

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VALIDATION REPORT

Report of the interlaboratory comparison testing for the GD to support implementation of Test Guideline No. 312 for Nanomaterial safety testing

This document is the report of the inter-laboratory comparison (ILC) testing for the Guidance Document to support implementation of Test Guideline No. 312 for nanomaterial safety testing. It provides background information on the test performed and the rationale for amendments included in the associated Guidance Document, No. 342 in the OECD Series on Testing and Assessment.

©OECD 2021

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Validation report

Validation report supporting Test Guideline 318

The purpose of the study was to learn about the applicability and accuracy of proposed experimental routines, determine whether the described procedures are interpreted and implemented correctly, identify the factors that can affect results variability and perform the analysis of statistical variability. It reports the design of the round robin test and describes the procedures (participating laboratories; study design; chemicals tested; validation of the results; results; and conclusions.)

©OECD 2017

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VALIDATION REPORT

Validation report supporting TG 125

The validation report presents the basic scientific information and data gathered in support of the Test Guideline No. 125. The scope of this TG is to specify methods to determine the size and size distributions of nanoscale particles and fibres (1-1000 nm).

©OECD, 2022

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Excel tool

Tool accompanying guidance document No. 318

This document is an an excel spreadsheet tool accompanying the Guidance Document No. 318

©OECD 2021

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STUDY REPORT

Study Report and Preliminary Guidance on the Adaptation of the In Vitro micronucleus assay (OECD TG 487)

This document shares the lessons learnt and guides the users of the Test Guideline 487 when testing ENM.

©OECD 2021

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PUBLICATIONS

More publications on Nanomaterials

Access all the publications in the Series on the Safety of Manufactured Nanomaterials.

Publications on Nanomaterials

With the financial assistance of the European Union

‌This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 887268. Previous financial contributions from the European Union supported the development of publications referenced here published before 2020.