Environmental assessment of nanomaterial use in Denmark

This is the concluding report of the project "Nanomaterials – occurrence and effects in the Danish environment" (abbreviated NanoDEN), which part the Danish Government's initiative "Better Control of Nanomaterials" (“Bedre styr på nanomaterialer”) which is administered by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency. The projects in NanoDEN have aimed to investigate and generate new environmentally relevant knowledge on of nanomaterials on the Danish market and to assess the possible associated risks to the environment. The results from the sub-projects are summarized in the current report and it is assessed whether and how nanomaterials may pose a risk for the environment in Denmark.

The assessment is based on investigations of nine selected nanomaterials, which are expected to be environmentally relevant based on knowledge of consumption quantities or how they are used. These data contribute to an overall assessment of nanomaterials risk to the environment in Denmark.

The nine investigated nanomaterials are: Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide, Silver, Carbon Nanotubes, Copper Oxide, Zero Valent Iron, Cerium Dioxide, Quantum Dots and Carbon Black.

Dette er den afsluttende rapport i projektet "Nanomaterialer – forekomst og effekter i det danske miljø" (forkortet NanoDEN), som udgør en del af Miljøstyrelsens udmøntning af regeringens finanslovsaftale "Bedre styr på nanomaterialer". Projekterne i NanoDEN har haft som hovedformål, at undersøge og generere miljørelevant viden om industrielt fremstillede nanomaterialer på det danske marked. Resultaterne fra NanoDENs delprojekter sammenfattes i nærværende slutrapport som vurderer om og hvordan nanomaterialer kan udgøre en risiko for miljøet i Danmark.

Vurderingen tager udgangspunkt i undersøgelser af ni udvalgte nanomaterialer, som forventes at være miljømæssigt relevante ud fra viden om forbrugsmængder eller hvordan de anvendes. Disse data bidrager til en samlet vurdering af nanomaterialers miljørisiko i Danmark.

De 9 undersøgte nanomaterialer er: Sølv, Titaniumdioxid,  Zinkoksid, Kulstofnanorør, Kobberoksid, Nanojern i oxidationstrin nul, Ceriumdioksid, Carbon black samt Kvantepunkter.