The focus of this report is to investigate the feasibility of:

• establishing group-based Australian National Exposure Standards for engineered nanomaterials
• using control banding for engineered nanomaterials in Australia.

In December 2007, the British Standards Institution (BSI) published: “Nanotechnologies – Part 2: Guide to safe handling and disposal of manufactured nanomaterials” (the BSI Guide). The BSI Guide defines four hazard type groups for engineered nanomaterials, includes information on benchmark exposure levels (BELs) which are guidance on control levels for nanomaterials in those groups, and provides control guidance for those groups based on control banding. Investigating the feasibility of establishing group-based Australian National Exposure Standards and using control banding for engineered nanomaterials involved a detailed assessment of the groups, the BELs and the guidance based on control banding.