Fronted by Technical Committee for Nanotechnology with the support from SDO@SCIC, this Nanotechnology Workshop creates awareness of the Singapore-led ISO Technical Report (ISO/TR 20489 Sample Preparation for the Characterization of Metal and Metal-Oxide Nano-Objects in Water Samples). This ISO TR provides guidance on preparation steps required prior to analysis of water samples, obtained before or after industry or laboratory processes.
The ISO/TR 20489 was initiated by Singapore in early 2015 due to the increase use of nanomaterials in Singapore which may lead to concerns regarding the potential health impacts of manufactured nano-objects in water. Having developed this document would ensure a standardised approach in pre-analysis treatment and sample preparation, which in turn allows the accurate detection and characterisation of nano-objects in water. The Project Group comprising of 19 experts from 13 countries, under the purview of ISO/TC229/JWG2 Measurement and Characterisation, embarked on the journey to ensure the robustness of the standard developed and its applicability while maintaining consensus.
Held on 21 Aug 2019, the workshop was attended by 23 participants from 8 enterprises and shared on the need for sample preparation and pre-treatment to allow interlaboratory comparison of results which will contribute to future studies of commercial products containing manufactured nano-objects.
