EU Publishes NanoDefine Methods Manual

On January 28, 2020, the European Union (EU) published The NanoDefine Methods Manual, a collection of three Joint Research Center (JRC) reports developed within the NanoDefine project “Development of an integrated approach based on validated and standardized methods to support the implementation of the EC recommendation for a definition of nanomaterial.”  According to the Manual, the overall goal of the NanoDefine project was to support the implementation of the European Commission (EC) Recommendation on the definition of nanomaterial (2011/696/EU).  The Manual states that the project developed an integrated empirical approach that allows identifying a material as a nanomaterial according to the EC Recommendation.  The Manual consists of three parts:

• Part 1: The NanoDefiner Framework and Tools, which covers the NanoDefiner framework, general information on measurement methods and performance criteria, and tools developed by NanoDefine such as a materials categorization system, a decision support flow scheme, and an e-tool;
• Part 2: Evaluation of Methods, which discusses the outcome of the evaluation of the nanomaterials characterization methods for measuring size; and
• Part 3: Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), which presents the 23 SOPs developed within the NanoDefine project.

In this combined document, the three parts are included as stand-alone reports, each having its own abstract; table of contents; page, table, and figure numbering; and references.