Volume	20 Pages
Document type	Report
Subject	Regulatory & Legal Aspect

In January 2007, the International Center for Technology Assessment and Friends of the Earth co-hosted the first Nanotechnology NGO Strategy Summit in Washington D.C., bringing together public interest, labor, civil society, environmental, women’s health, and citizen-based grassroots organizations from across North America to discuss and agree upon foundational principles for nanotechnology oversight and assessment. Over the next six months, participants developed principles, spearheaded by the International Center for Technology Assessment’s NanoAction project. This document is the result. Nearly 70 groups from six continents now have endorsed it.

This document declares eight fundamental principles which must provide the foundation for adequate and effective oversight and assessment of the emerging field of nanotechnology, including those nanomaterials that are already in widespread commercial use.

Introduction

I. A Precautionary Foundation

II. Mandatory Nano-specific Regulations

III. Health and Safety of the Public and Workers

IV. Environmental Sustainability

V. Transparency

VI. Public Participation

VII. Inclusion of Broader Impacts

VIII. Manufacturer Liability

Conclusion

References