Nanomaterials offer numerous new opportunities for innovation but they can also pose new risks. Nanomaterials are now used in many different economic sectors and increasingly also in consumer products such as cosmetics, textiles, and food packaging. The possible consequences of this use have not been sufficiently studied. There is a danger of a widening gap between the technological development and the knowledge about risks.
In its Special Report “Precautionary strategies for managing nanomaterials” published today, the German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU) makes recommendations for a responsible and precautionary...