With a funding volume of five million euros BASF, the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) are conducting research into the long-term effects of nanomaterials.
The project is being carried out under the aegis of the BMUB. The Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the German Environment Agency (UBA) and the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) are providing technical support throughout the project and will carry out an assessment upon its completion. An external advisory board comprising high-level, internationally renowned and independent scientists is also overseeing the project.
Using rat organisms, the project is looking into the potential long-term effects of nanomaterials on the lungs and other organs. The tests are examining in particular the impacts that low exposure levels have over a long period of time with the aim of identifying the chronic effects of nanomaterials in the low-dose range. This is a globally unique and unprecedented project.