Nanosafety research so far mainly investigated simple nanomaterials while materials on the market often cover broad size distributions (nm to µm), show a variety of different morphologies and may be composed of different substances. It remains unclear to which extent existing methods and knowledge can be applied to these complex material types.

The BMBF-funded project InnoMat.Life (“Innovative materials and new production processes:
Safety along the life cycle and in industrial value chains”) addressed this challenge and investigated three additional material classes: (1) fibres, (2) polydisperse polymer particles for industrial applications such as additive manufacturing, and (3) materials with complex morphologies and / or composition. The project assessed exposure and hazards for humans and the environment and has considered the whole life cycle.

InnoMat.Life aimed to support regulators, industry and decision makers by providing suitable methods to conduct hazard and risk assessment of these innovative and complex material types with a special emphasis on establishing criteria and similarity concepts to perform grouping. To achieve this the project combined expertise from academia, agencies and industry.

This conference addresses stakeholders from policy, science, industry and NGOs who are dealing with regulatory implications of innovative materials in the context of chemical safety. InnoMat.Life will present the final project outcomes and aims to discuss them in a broader context of other ongoing initiatives.

The workshop is planed as a face-to-face event at the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), Marienfelde, Diedersdorfer Weg 1, 12277 Berlin.

Programme