On the experimental approaches for the assessment of the release of engineered nanomaterials from nanocomposites by physical degradation processes

The LIFE+ Project SIRENA, Simulation of the release of nanomaterials from consumer products for environmental exposure assessment, (LIFE11 ENV/ES/596) has set up a Technological Surveillance System (TSS) to trace technical references at worldwide level related to nanocomposites and the release from nanocomposites. So far a total of seventy three items of different nature (from peer reviewed articles to presentations and contributions to congresses) have been selected and classified as "nanomaterials release simulation technologies". In present document, different approaches for the simulation of different life cycle stages through the physical degradation of polymer nanocomposites at laboratory scale are assessed. In absence of a reference methodology, the comparison of the different protocols used still remains a challenge.