Overview
ISO/TR 21386:2019 - Nanotechnologies: Considerations for the measurement of nano-objects and their aggregates and agglomerates (NOAA) in environmental matrices - is an ISO Technical Report that provides practical guidance for collecting, preparing and interpreting environmental samples to detect and quantify manufactured NOAA. The report reviews published studies, outlines sampling challenges across environmental matrices (air, surface water, seawater, sediment, soil) and offers considerations for distinguishing manufactured nanomaterials (NM) from naturally occurring nanoscale particles.
Key topics
- Scope and definitions: Clarifies terms such as NOAA, NM, environmental matrices (ambient air, surface water, seawater, sediment, soil, estuarine and pore water).
- Background discrimination: Considerations to distinguish manufactured NOAA from natural background particles of similar composition.
- Transformations & interactions: How NM transform, aggregate/agglomerate, and interact with natural organic matter and matrix constituents.
- Sampling strategies: Real-time vs integrated vs spot sampling and matrix-specific sampling considerations (air, surface water, seawater, sediment, soil).
- Sample preparation: Pre-analytical procedures to preserve particle state and support accurate quantitation.
- Characterization & quantitation: Approaches for detecting and quantifying NOAA, including matrix-specific notes (e.g., metal NM, metal-oxide NM, carbon-based NM).
- Instrumentation (Annex A): Overview of common analytical techniques - TEM/TEM‑EDX, ICP‑MS, AAS, HDC, HPLC/UHPLC, HRMS, UV‑vis - used for NOAA characterization and quantification.
- Limitations and scope: Focuses on environmental media; analysis of biota is excluded from this report.
Practical applications
- Designing environmental monitoring programs to measure manufactured nanomaterials in air, water, sediments and soils.
- Developing sample collection and preparation protocols that minimize artefacts and preserve NOAA state.
- Interpreting environmental data to separate engineered NM signals from natural nanoscale background.
- Supporting environmental stewardship, exposure modelling calibration and risk assessment inputs (measurement-focused; risk assessment methods not prescribed).
Who should use this standard
- Environmental scientists and researchers studying nanomaterial fate and transport.
- Analytical laboratories developing NOAA measurement workflows.
- Regulatory agencies and policy makers concerned with environmental monitoring of nanotechnologies.
- Industry R&D and environmental compliance teams that need guidance on environmental sampling and quantitation of NM.
- Remediation practitioners assessing residual engineered NM after treatment processes.
Related standards
Keywords: ISO/TR 21386:2019, nanotechnologies, NOAA, nano‑objects, aggregates, agglomerates, environmental matrices, sampling, sample preparation, nanomaterial measurement, ICP‑MS, TEM.