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Objectives


PROSPECT will help to fulfil the UK’s contribution to the OECD’s programme to examine the human health and environmental safety of nanomaterials important to UK industry.

It will provide crucial data to the OECD work, by addressing gaps in the current level of knowledge on the physico-chemical and (eco)toxicological properties of these materials, followed by fundamental scientific research leading to establishing scientific test methodologies to study those endpoints that may not be assessed through standard tests used for bulk chemicals (i.e. not in nano form).

The project will put generic protocols in place that contribute to potential risk assessments to be conducted on those products that contain the particles that form the basis for the project, whilst providing data that might allow for the use of approximation tools and model systems to assess the risk of other, similar particles.

In detail, the objectives of the project are:

  • Provide a thorough review and evaluation on characterisation, toxicological and ecotoxicological data available on nano-CeO2 and ZnO, as well as methodologies that might be used to conduct tests that address the OECD endpoints.
  • Create a detailed Test Dossier for the OECD endpoints testing of nano-CeO2 and nano-ZnO (including assignment of characterisation, tests, and methodologies to be developed during the PROSPEcT LINK project) within which nano-specific properties may be described.
  • Provide detailed sampling, handling and testing protocols for nano-ZnO and nano-CeO2, with view to sharing the protocols with the OECD Sponsorship Programme for alignment with other nanomaterials test protocols.
  • Establish the proof-of-principle for new techniques to detect nanoparticles against the background, including the exploitation of established techniques through prototyping of instruments.
  • Comprehensively address the OECD endpoints for ecotoxicology on nano- CeO2 and ZnO, laying the foundation for understanding nano-specific behaviour and the risk management context of subsequent OECD and UK data development efforts.