The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), announced yesterday in Helsinki, the Capital of Finland that it has started publishing information on the danger of 11 Nano materials, which were given this name, because they are made up of ultra-fine particles, and Nano is part of a billionth of a meter. These dangerous Nano materials are: Fullerenes (a molecule of carbon in the form of a hollow sphere, or tube, and it can take many other forms), single-walled nanotubes, and multi-walled nanotubes, silver, gold, dendrimers (a polymer Nano-branched in the form of a tree, or a star, bearing a wide variety of molecules on its ends), Silicon dioxide – six different forms, Nanoclays (Nano scale particles from layers of mineral silicates used as polymer clay), titanium dioxide – six different forms, the Cerium Dioxide, and Zinc Oxide, which is widely used in the preparation of medical ointments for the skin.
This new information is the result of a pilot program, in which 11 Nano materials were used, being commercially viable and present in the markets. This program included 780 studies which included the fundamental properties of these materials, meaning those that are associated with its intrinsic properties. This work produced data that led to the introduction of amendments to the existing test guidelines, and to the creation of a database of Nano materials on their toxicity, and eco-toxicity, meaning their adverse effects on the human health and on the environment.
It is necessary to continue to deploy all the new information, with full transparency, on the toxicity of Nano-materials, which are widely spread, and that affect the human health and the environment. It is also necessary, to enter this new information in the bulletin data on the health and environmental impacts of Nano-materials, which helps in using them safely, and staying away from their risks.
The program that started in 2007, and which examines these materials and studies their potential impact on the health and the environment, should be continued. It is also essential to publish the results with full transparency, and these results should be used as new information concerning these materials, in order to use them safely and widely, in the industrial field, the consumer-related activities, and the urban construction activities.
