UCD School of Biosystems Engineering

Mr. Niall O’Brien and Dr. Enda Cummins received significant international recognition of their ongoing work in the area of nanoparticle risk assessment with the recent announcement of their paper  (Nano-Scale Pollutants: Fate in Irish Surface and Drinking Water Regulatory Systems. HERA 16(4): 847–872) as the Human Health Risk Assessment Paper of the Year 2010. The official announcement of the award was made in the April 2011 issue of HERA (Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, 17: 2, 283 — 286). The paper forms part of the PhD work of Mr. Niall O’Brien and is supervised by Dr. Enda Cummins in the School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine. The research work was funded by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the RTDI Programme.

During the selection process their paper was shortlisted by the HERA Editorial Board and selected as the eventual winner by the HERA’s senior editors. In their evaluation the HERA Senior Editors state “This paper evaluates in great detail the presence and potential health significance of several nanocomponents present in general commerce. Aside from intense interest in the issue of nanomaterials in the scientific and popular press, this study is an excellent example of complete treatment of a question from detailed historical background through assessment of practical risk”.

Dr Cummins stated “It is a great honor to have this paper selected for this prestigious award, it is a great achievement and recognition from international peers of the work being conducted in Biosystems Engineering in relation to nanoparticles risk assessment”.