HARMLESS- Advances High Aspect Ratio and Multicomponent materials: towards comprehensive intelligent testing and Safe-by-Design Strategies (HARMLESS)

01/2021-01/2025

Funding programme / funding institution: Europäische Union

Grant number: 953183

Project homepage: https://www.harmless-project.eu/

Project description:

Great efforts on nanosafety research have been made in the past decades. This helped to establish industrial application of nanomaterials in different sectors and was the basis for adaptations in existing regulations such as REACH. However, risk assessment has focussed predominantly on a few types of monocomponent nanomaterials. The fast development of next generation multicomponent nanomaterials demands the continuous adaptation of test and assessment strategies. Complex multi-component, hybrid nanomaterials (MCNM) and High Aspect Ratio Nanomaterials (HARN) exhibit e.g. differing rates of fragmentation, degradation and leaching, along with differing toxicities of the separate components.

HARMLESS develops comprehensive intelligent test, assessment and Safe-by-Design strategies for MCNM and HARNs by integrating a toolbox of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) also considering the Mode of Action of these materials. To support the later application HARMLESS also develops a user-friendly decision support system and verifies its approach in industrial case studies.

Projekt partners

• Helmholtz Zentrum München Deutsches Zentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH)
• Karolinska Institute
• The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research
• Det Nationale Forskningscenter for Arbejdsmiljo
• BioNanoNet Forschungsgesellschaft mbH  
• IDEAconsult Ltd.
• BASF SE
• Nouryon Pulp and Performance Chemicals AB
• Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin
• Swansea University
• Französisches Kommissariat für Atomenergie und alternative Energien
• Universität Danzig
• Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
• Danmarks Tekniske Universitet, DK
• Temas Solutions GmbH
• Misvik Biology Ltd
• Universität Lund
• European Research Services GmbH