New POST work: January 2021
The POST board has approved 4 new POSTnotes and POSTbriefs. Coastal management, Environmentally efficient residential building, Net zero and decarbonising construction and Remote and flexible working.

The unique properties of engineered nanomaterials are beneficial to a range of industries. However, uncertainties in assessing their potential health and environmental risks could hinder their safe use. This POSTnote summarises the current regulation of nanomaterials and highlights potential future directions for regulatory testing approaches.
Risk Assessment of Nanomaterials (454 KB, PDF)
‘Nanomaterials’ generally refers to materials containing a significant proportion of particles with at least one dimension between 1-100 nm (a nanometre is one-billionth of a metre), which is about a thousandth of the width of human hair. Nanoscale materials can include nanoparticles, nanotubes and nanofilms. However, the regulatory definition is still being debated.
The unique properties of engineered nanomaterials are beneficial to a range of industries; their applications are wide ranging and increasing, with over 1,800 known products already on the market containing engineered nanomaterials.
Key points in this POSTnote include:
Acknowledgements
POSTnotes are based on literature reviews and interviews with a range of stakeholders and are externally peer reviewed. POST would like to thank interviewees and peer reviewers for kindly giving up their time during the preparation of this briefing, including:
*Denotes people who acted as external reviewers of the briefing.
Risk Assessment of Nanomaterials (454 KB, PDF)
The POST board has approved 4 new POSTnotes and POSTbriefs. Coastal management, Environmentally efficient residential building, Net zero and decarbonising construction and Remote and flexible working.
A POSTnote on coastal management will summarise emerging evidence and its implications for coastal flood risk management. It will review how sea level rise and climate change may impact storm patterns and how these impacts can be mitigated to protect coastal areas.
A POSTnote on green building will summarise the key criteria affecting the environmental performance of buildings. It will review the challenges and opportunities for improving the UK housing stock to meet likely future standards.