title: An integrated science-based methodology to assess potential risks and implications of engineered nanomaterials.
abstract: There is an urgent need for broad and integrated studies that address the risks of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) along the different endpoints of the society, environment, and economy (SEE) complex adaptive system. This article presents an integrated science-based methodology to assess the potential risks of engineered nanomaterials. To achieve the study objective, two major tasks are accomplished, knowledge synthesis and algorithmic computational methodology. The knowledge synthesis task is designed to capture "what is known" and to outline the gaps in knowledge from ENMs risk perspective. The algorithmic computational methodology is geared toward the provision of decisions and an understanding of the risks of ENMs along different endpoints for the constituents of the SEE complex adaptive system. The approach presented herein allows for addressing the formidable task of assessing the implications and risks of exposure to ENMs, with the long term goal to build a decision-support system to guide key stakeholders in the SEE system towards building sustainable ENMs and nano-enabled products.
authors.affiliation: U.S Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Cincinnati, OH, USA. Electronic address: tolaymat.thabet@epa.gov.
authors.forename: Thabet
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tolaymat
authors.affiliation: Pegasus Technical Services Inc., Cincinnati, OH 45219, USA.
authors.forename: Amro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: El Badawy
authors.affiliation: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA.
authors.forename: Reynold
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sequeira
authors.affiliation: WorldTek Inc., Cincinnati, OH 45249, USA.
authors.forename: Ash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Genaidy
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001711:Biotransformation; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003199:Computer Systems; D003663:Decision Trees; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000191:economics / Q000633:toxicity*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Algorithmic computational methodology; Effects on environmental and societal health; Engineered nanomaterials; Knowledge synthesis; Risks to society, environment, and economy