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"Whilst the global players in industry are rapidly moving forward to take advantage of the new opportunities and prospects offered by nanotechnologies, it is imperative that such developments take place in a safe and sustainable manner. The increasing use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in consumer products has raised certain concerns over their safety to human health and the environment. There are currently a number of major uncertainties and knowledge gaps in regard to behavior, chemical and biological interactions and toxicological properties of ENMs. As dealing with these uncertainties will require the generation of new basic knowledge, it is unlikely that they will be resolved in the immediate future. One has to consider the whole life cycle of nanoproducts to ensure that possible impacts can be systematically discovered. For example, life cycle assessment (LCA) - a formalized life cycle concept - may be used to assess the relative environmental sustainability performance of nanoproducts in comparison with their conventional equivalents. Other less formalized life cycle concepts in the framework of prospective technology assessment may uncover further detailed and prospective knowledge for human and environmental exposure to ENMs during the life cycle of nanoproducts. They systematically reveal impacts such as cross product contamination or dissipation of scarce materials among others. The combination of different life cycle concepts with the evolving knowledge from toxicology and risk assessment can mitigate uncertainties and can provide an early basis for informed decision making by the industry and regulators."

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are expected to be applied in a wide range of industrial applications and consumer products. As a consequence of widespread usage and their supposed persistence against degradation, human and environmental exposure to CNT is likely to increase. There are still many open questions regarding the effects of human or ecological exposure. However, the results of toxicological studies suggest that nanotubes may affect human health. Here we study possible sources of CNT-release on the basis of two case studies. In order to investigate whether and under which conditions CNT may be released from applications, we track the CNT throughout their life cycle as part of two types of consumer products: lithium-ion secondary batteries and synthetic textiles. The findings of the case studies suggest that a release of nanotubes can occur not only in the production phase, but also in the usage and disposal phases of nanotube applications. The likelihood and form of release is determined by the way CNT are incorporated into the material. A considerable part of all CNT used may finally be dispersed somewhere in the technosphere or the environment, e.g. by cross-product contamination during recycling. As long as potential adverse effects of CNT cannot be ruled out, we recommend implementing precautionary measures along the value chain (including the end-of-life treatment) in order to reduce the release and possible negative environmental or human health effects of CNT."