Nanorisk Governance in Taiwan: Studying Potential Impacts on the Environment, Health, and Safety

In the past few decades, thousands of nanorelated products have been produced, and the volume of nanotechnology literature has increased tremendously. At the same time, the influence of nanotechnology on environment, health, and safety (EHS) issues has become a concern. The United States and the European Union (EU), as well as international organizations such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), have drafted policies, laws, regulations, and standards. International regulations and standards for some specific nanomaterials are gradually being established. In view of nanotechnology-related EHS issues, we have set up a common platform to study the potential impacts on EHS by coordinating research efforts from different agencies in Taiwan. These agencies also include the formation of the Taiwan Nanotechnology Standard Council (TNSC) for sharing knowledge in standardization and the nanoMark system for labeling nanoproducts. Finally, we sum up the analyses and offer specific recommendations to government policy makers for safety management of nanotechnology.