Oct 11 2010
Whether and to what extent the millionths of millimetre small particles can be dangerous is a controversial issue. The new scientific project "NanoGEM - Nanostructured Materials – Health, Exposure and Material Properties" is trying to bring light into darkness.
Fundamental questions are inter alia, whether nanoparticles areabsorbed by the body and if so, how they are distributed throughout the body.
The research project will be funded with a total of EURO 6.4 millionfor the next three years by the German Federal Ministry of Educationand Research (BMBF) and the industry. Consortium leader of the projectis the institute for energy and environmental technology (IUTA) of the University of Duisburg-Essen.
In total, 19 universitarian and privatelyowned research institutes as well as several representatives ofauthorities and the industry are involved. The first meeting of theproject members took place September 29 – 30 inDuisburg-Rheinhausen. The aim of "NanoGEM" is to make a contribution to a general safetyand acceptance of nanotechnology in Germany and to help making it moreeconomically successful. This also means to achieve results in terms ofsustainable development and risk assessment.
Moreover, it is about work and product safety in manufacturing,processing, usage and disposal of nanostructured materials. Answersshall be found with newly developed measurement devices and methods. For the first time, toxicological assessments of industry-relevantnanoparticles and nanomaterials are also conducted on processedproducts to create a basis for the risk assessment.
Source: Kompetenznetze Deutschland