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Abstract:
The nanotechnology coalition that launched the first online database of
scientific findings related to the benefits and risks of nanomaterials has
taken the concept one step further with the launch today of the Virtual
Journal of Nanotechnology Environment, Health & Safety (VJ-Nano EHS). The
journal, a monthly online publication of the International Council on
Nanotechnology, can be accessed at http://icon.rice.edu/virtualjournal.cfm .

Nano coalition launches virtual journal on risk research

Houston, TX | Posted on March 22nd, 2007

A monthly online journal that contains citations and links to articles on
the environment and health impacts of nanotechnology, VJ-Nano EHS is a
product of The International Council on Nanotechnology (ICON) and Rice
University's Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN),
which launched the first EHS database in August 2005.

ICON is an international organization with members from academia,
non-governmental organizations, industry and government dedicated to the
safe, responsible and beneficial development of nanotechnology. Its EHS
database was the first effort to integrate the vast and diverse scientific
literature on the impacts of nanoparticles, which are tiny pieces of matter
with dimensions measuring between 1-100 nanometers and containing between
tens and thousands of atoms.

By virtue of their size, shape or surface characteristics, many
nanoparticles exhibit properties that aren't observed in the bulk form of
the same material. With nanomaterials currently being used in hundreds of
consumer products, including cosmetics, fabrics, and computer hardware, it
is important to understand the potential risks of nanoparticles to living
organisms. VJ-Nano EHS provides the most comprehensive knowledge base of
peer-reviewed information focusing on nanomaterial impacts available
to-date.

"One of the main purposes of our organization is to communicate reliable
information on the potential environmental and health risks of
nanotechnology in a way that is accessible to both the research community
and non-technical audiences," said Kristen Kulinowski, director of ICON. "We
believe this new journal provides us with that opportunity."

VJ-Nano EHS organizes the information contained in ICON's existing EHS
Database into a reader-friendly monthly journal format, with articles listed
in each issue primarily published during that month. New features include a
rotating guest editorship, and a series of occasional papers on topics of
interest taken from the contents of the database. In addition, users can
subscribe to an RSS feed to receive citations to the latest papers. ICON is
working to make more of the papers themselves accessible.

Contents can be browsed by author, journal, or date or by method of study,
exposure or hazard target, paper type, risk exposure group, production,
particle type, exposure pathway, content emphasis and target audience. In
the future, the journal will include a section on the "most-cited Nano EHS
papers."

VJ-Nano EHS and its database are maintained by ICON as a public service.
ICON is associated with CBEN at Rice University.

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About Rice University
Rice University is consistently ranked one of America’s best teaching and
research universities. It is distinguished by its: size—2,850 undergraduates
and 1,950 graduate students; selectivity—10 applicants for each place in the
freshman class; resources—an undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of
6-to-1, and the fifth largest endowment per student among American
universities; residential college system, which builds communities that are
both close-knit and diverse; and collaborative culture, which crosses
disciplines, integrates teaching and research, and intermingles
undergraduate and graduate work. Rice’s wooded campus is located in the
nation’s fourth largest city and on America’s South Coast. For more
information visit http://www.rice.edu .

About ICON
The International Council on Nanotechnology is a multi-stakeholder group
whose mission is to develop and communicate information regarding potential
health and environmental risks of nanotechnology while maximizing its
societal benefit. Our efforts are founded on the belief that partnership
activities, between governments, industry, academia and non-governmental
organizations are the key to an environmentally responsible nanotechnology
industry. For more information visit http://icon.rice.edu .

About CBEN
The Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology is a National
Science Foundation Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center dedicated to
developing sustainable nanotechnologies that improve human health and the
environment. Located at Rice University in Houston, CBEN is a leader in
ensuring that nanotechnology develops responsibly and with strong public
support. For more information visit http://cben.rice.edu .