
In August, we would like to present a paper of the German BMBF project nanoGRAVUR. nanoGRAVUR dealt from 2015-2018 with the grouping of nanostructured materials with regard to occupational safety, consumer and environmental protection and risk mitigation. The approach is now described by the project partners in this paper.
Due to the variety of synthetic nanomaterials and the numerous modifications (differences in size, shape, chemical composition and surface functionalization), the effort required to investigate effects and behaviour within the framework of regulatory requirements is enormous. Given the variability of possible effects, it is almost impossible to examine the potential risk for each nanomaterial on a case-by-case basis. Grouping or analogy now aims to allow a reliable prediction of hazards from nanomaterials of a group without additional testing by identifying certain properties or parameters.
For each of the three different areas of occupational, consumer and environmental safety, different groups may emerge, but they are based on a harmonised set of material properties with specific analytical methods, descriptors and areas. Proof of concept is provided in this publication by quantitative data on 34 case studies.
Original Publication:
Wohlleben, W, Hellack, B, Nickel, C, Herrchen, M, Hund-Rinke, K, Kettler, K, Riebeling, C, Haase, A, Funk, B, Kühnel, D, Göhler, D, Stintz, M, Schumacher, C, Wiemann, M, Keller, J, Landsiedel, R, Broßell, D, Pitzko, S, Kuhlbusch,T (2019), The nanoGRAVUR framework to group (nano)materials for their occupational, consumer, environmental risks based on a harmonized set of material properties, applied to 34 case studies. DOI 10.1039/c9nr03306h

Weitere Spotlights
Spotlight June 2022: From small to clever – What does the future hold for the safety and sustainability of advanced materials?
The smallest particles in materials research, nanoparticles, have occupied us intensively for more than 20 years to elucidate and further investigate their safety for humans and the environment. Now, however, the development is going from “small = nano” to “clever = advanced”, as discussed in a contribution by international scientists. Thereby, it is a great […]
Read moreSpotlight June 2023: New catalytic process for recovering important materials from composites in a single process
Previously virtually impossible and a huge problem: fibre-reinforced resin composites (epoxides) were not recyclable, and wind turbine rotor blades, for example, add up to a waste pile of 43 million tons by 2050. Researchers have now taken an important first step in “reprocessing” these composites and catalytically dissolving them so that the carbon fibres and […]
Read moreSpotlight September 2021: Wood, the raw material of the future?
One of the greatest challenges facing humanity is to produce clean drinking water under the given circumstances of global warming, population growth and increasing littering. In September, we would like to present a review article that believes one approach to solve this problem is the use of nanoscale wood. In the review, “Advanced Nanowood Materials […]
Read moreSpotlight July 2022: New definition on nanomaterials published
The European Union has published a new definition for nanomaterials as of June 2022. It is recommended that this be used as a basis for future legislation. The new documents can be found on the EC website. In the new “nanodefinition”, the essential components such as the origin or the size range of the particles […]
Read more