Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Advanced Materials (AdMa) play a crucial role for numerous strategies that address global challenges. They are being developed fast, making it increasingly challenging for regulation to keep pace with innovation. Existing frameworks, which are either not designed for AdMa or lack adequate filtering to identify AdMa of high concern, do not (yet) effectively support regulatory preparedness. The HARMLESS Early Warning System (EWS), in contrast, is a practically applicable tool for screening plenty of materials in a reasonable time. It is organized in two tiers, each underpinned by a specific methodology and facilitated by a dedicated online tool. The initial Tier 0 categorizes the materials using the Advanced Materials Earliest Assessment (AMEA) tool. Tier 1 first screens materials asking only 15 questions and is ideal for data‐poor materials at early innovation stages. These questions cover issues related to human/ environmental exposure and hazard, sustainability and applicability of existing regulations. In a more elaborated version, experimental testing based on New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) is suggested. As outcome, the user is provided with 1) material‐related concerns, 2) prioritization of AdMa and 3) recommendations for (regulatory) follow‐up actions. Data from two industrial case studies is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the HARMLESS EWS.
Source: Advanced Sustainable Systems
Authors: Julia Prinz, Gregor Nagel, Susan Dekkers, Eugene P. van Someren, Véronique Adam, Veronica Di Battista, Blanca Suarez‐Merino, Wendel Wohlleben, Michael Persson, Anders Baun, Otmar Schmid, Andrea Haase
Institutions: Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, Technology and Management Services (Switzerland), BASF (Germany), Chalmers Industriteknik, Technical University of Denmark, Helmholtz Munich, German Center for Lung Research, Freie Universität Berlin
Language: English
Subfield: Environmental Chemistry
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,430
OpenAlex ID: W4410506428