ABSTRACT
Integration of risk assessment with the study of life cycle stages of nanotechnology-enabled products permits identification of critical risk assessment data needs. Nano life cycle risk assessment (LCRA) is based on adaptive management and involves revisiting the framework and reevaluating prior decisions with new information. There are three unique components to the Nano LCRA framework: adaptive management, life cycle thinking, and screening-level risk assessment. The Nano LCRA framework applies adaptive management for nanomaterials; it adopts the tools of risk analysis and life cycle thinking to characterize the potential for exposure and risk to nanomaterials in specific applications. The Nano LCRA framework is transparent because it documents the assumptions and analysis and allows comparison of different products and processes amid uncertainty. The Nano LCRA framework offers a simple, proactive, dynamic approach that can be reevaluated regularly.
