Many potential questions regarding the risks associated with the development and use of wide-ranging technologies enabled through engineered nanomaterials. For example, with over 600 consumer products available globally, what information exists that describes their risk to human health and the environment? What en- neering or use controls can be deployed to minimize the potential environmental health and safety impacts of nanomaterials throughout the manufacturing and product lifecycles? How can the potential environmental and health benefits of nanotechnology be realized and maximized? The idea for this book was conceived at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on "Nanomaterials: Environmental Risks and Benefits and Emerging Consumer Products. " This meeting - held in Algarve, Portugal, in April 2008 - started with building a foundation to harmonize risks and benefits associated with nanomaterials to develop risk management approaches and policies. More than 70 experts, from 19 countries, in the fields of risk assessment, decision-analysis, and security discussed the current state-of-knowledge with regard to nanomaterial risk and benefits. The discussion focused on the adequacy of available risk assessment tools to guide nanomaterial applications in industry and risk governance. The workshop had five primary purposes: Describe the potential benefits of nanotechnology enabled commercial products. Identify and describe what is known about environmental and human health risks of nanomaterials and approaches to assess their safety. Assess the suitability of multicriteria decision analysis for reconciling the benefits and risks of nanotechnology.

"There are many potential questions regarding the risks associated with the development and use of wide-ranging technologies enabled through engineered nanomaterials. For example, with over 600 consumer products available globally, what information exists that describes their risk to human health and the environment? What engineering or use controls can be deployed to minimize the potential environmental health and safety impacts of nanomaterials throughout the manufacturing and product lifecycles? How can the potential environmental and health benefits of nanotechnology be realized and maximized? The book chapters clearly illustrate that while existing chemical risk assessment and risk management frameworks may provide a starting point, the unique properties of nanomaterials adds a significant level of complexity to this process. The focus of many chapters is on identification of strategies and tools that could currently be implemented to reduce technical uncertainty and prioritize research to address the immediate needs of the regulatory and risk assessment communities. Papers in the book illustrate application of advanced risk assessment, comprehensive environmental assessment, risk characterization methods, decision analysis techniques, and other approaches to help focus research and inform policymakers benefiting the world at large."

Human Health Risks.- Human Health Risks of Engineered Nanomaterials.- Disposition of Nanoparticles as a function of Their Interactions with Biomolecules.- Assessment of Quantum Dot Penetration into Skin in Different Species Under Different Mechanical Actions.- Nanotechnology.- Biomarkers of Nanoparticles Impact on Biological Systems.- Nanocontamination of the Soldiers in a Battle Space.- Environmental Risk.- Smarten.- Solid-Phase Characteristics of Engineered Nanoparticles.- Nanomaterial Transport, Transformation, and Fate in the Environment.- Visualization and Transport of Quantum Dot Nanomaterials in Porous Media.- Developing an Ecological Risk Framework to Assess Environmental Safety of Nanoscale Products.- Development of a Three-Level Risk Assessment Strategy for Nanomaterials.- Classifying Nanomaterial Risks Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis.- Technology and Benefits.- Nanomaterials, Nanotechnology.- Risk Reduction Via Greener Synthesis of Noble Metal Nanostructures and Nanocomposites.- Remediation of Contaminated Groundwater Using Nano-Carbon Colloids.- A Novel Size-Selective Airborne Particle Sampling Instrument (Wras) for Health Risk Evaluation.- Nanotechnologies and Environmental Risks.- International Perspectives.- Processing of Polymer Nanofibers Through Electrospinning as Drug Delivery Systems.- Air Pollution Monitoring and Use of Nanotechnology Based Solid State Gas Sensors in Greater Cairo Area, Egypt.- Advanced Material Nanotechnology in Israel.- Silver Nanoparticles.- Developing Strategies in Brazil to Manage The Emerging Nanotechnology and its Associated Risks.- The Current State-of-the Art in the Area of Nanotechnology Risk Assessment in Russia.- Environmental Risk Assessment of Nanomaterials.- Policy and Regulatory Aspects.- Considerations for Implementation of Manufactured Nanomaterial Policy and Governance.- The Safety of Nanotechnologies at the Oecd.- Nanomaterials in Consumer Products.- Strategic Approaches for the Management of Environmental Risk Uncertainties Posed by Nanomaterials.- Methods of Economic Valuation of The Health Risks Associated with Nanomaterials.- Nanomaterials.- Group Decision-Making in Selecting Nanotechnology Supplier.- Uncertainty in Life Cycle Assessment of Nanomaterials.- Knowing Much While Knowing Nothing.