Establishing FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) principles for estuarine organisms exposed to engineered nanomaterials

摘要

Abstract After 20 years of assessing ecotoxicological risks of engineered nanomaterials, data gaps limit the efficacy of regulatory guidelines. Presently, there are efforts to compile historical data on nanomaterial research into online data platforms that follow FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) principles. FAIR data practices for alternative testing strategies such as mesocosms are needed as standard testing strategies and regulatory platforms do not appropriately capture the mobility and bioavailability of nanomaterials in an ecosystem, limits their ability to define environmental risk. The study created a FAIR dataset for mesocosm research from three European projects with data conforming to standard ontologies modified to accommodate mesocosms. Data ranked well on the FAIRness maturity indicator proposed by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 initiative, with data on physicochemical properties being a major limitation for reusability. Statistical analysis demonstrated that chemical elements were a dominant descriptor of the data. FAIR data were achieved in the present study; however, the research highlights questions surrounding data reporting guidelines for alternative testing strategies. Considerations around data usage for historical data are also necessary to meet stakeholder needs.