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Added Jul
Topic Page: Nanotechnology
http://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/index.cfm?id=537
(NIEHS)
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The documents on this page explore worker health and safety and environmental health and safety issues related to the expanding field of nanotechnology.
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No Small Worry: Airborne Nanomaterials in the Lab Raise Concerns
http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.118-a34b
(EHP)
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This news article by Cynthia Washam appears in the January 2010 open access edition of Environmental Health Perspectives.
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NIOSH: Approaches to Safe Nanotechnology- Managing the Health and Safety Concerns Associated with Engineered Nanoparticles
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2009-125/
(NIOSH)
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The document serves a dual purpose: it is a summary of NIOSH's current thinking and interim recommendations; and it is a request from NIOSH to occupational safety and health practitioners, researchers, product innovators and manufacturers, employers, workers, interest group members, and the general public to exchange information that will ensure that no worker suffers material impairment of safety or health as nanotechnology develops.
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European Agency for Safety and Health at Work: Expert Forecast on Emerging Chemical Risks Related to Occupational Safety and Health
http://osha.europa.eu/en/publications/reports/TE3008390ENC_chemical_risks/view
(European Agency for Safety and Health at Work)
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It is estimated that about 74,000 work-related deaths may be linked to hazardous substances at work each year in the EU – about 10 times more than workplace accidents. About 15% of European workers report handling chemical products for a quarter of their working time and 19% report breathing in dust, fumes and smoke in their workplaces. The 49 experts from 21 European countries who participated in this forecast highlighted particles and dusts as major emerging concerns and put nanoparticles at the top of the list of emerging risks. Other main groups of emerging risks identified were carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic substances, and the increasing use of allergenic and sensitising substances.
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NIOSH Current Intelligence Bulletin 60: Interim Guidance for Medical Screening and Hazard Surveillance for Workers Potentially Exposed to Engineered Nanoparticles
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2009-116/#4
(NIOSH)
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As research progresses to answer those questions, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has recommended prudent precautionary interim measures for reducing work-related exposures and assessing potential risk. In the hierarchy of prevention, it is important to consider where it may be of value to provide medical screening of workers who may be exposed to a potential health hazard, but who may be asymptomatic—that is, who have no identifiable symptom of an occupational disease.
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IRSST Studies and Research Projects: Best Practices Guide to Synthetic Nanoparticle Risk Management (PDF)
http://www.irsst.qc.ca/files/documents/PubIRSST/R-599.pdf
(IRSST)
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This good practices guide was prepared jointly by the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST), the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail du
Québec (CSST) and NanoQuébec, which share the same objective: to support research organizations and companies in fostering the safe, ethical and responsible development of nanotechnologies in Québec.
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Online Safety Courses: Nanotechnology Safety
http://www.lni.wa.gov/Safety/TrainTools/Online/Courses/default.asp?P_ID=172
(Washington Department of Labor and Industries)
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This no cost online course provided by Washington State Department of Labor & Industries addresses: what is nanotechnology; potential hazards; and, safety measures.
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OSHA Safety and Health Topic: Nanotechnology
http://www.osha.gov/dsg/nanotechnology/nanotechnology.html
(OSHA)
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This safety and health topic page provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration includes information on relevant OSHA standards, potential health effects, health and safety research and more related to nanotechnology.
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NIOSH Publication: Nanotechnology in the Workplace
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2008-112/
(NIOSH)
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An introduction for Employers, Managers, and Safety and Health Professionals.
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Nanoparticle Information LIbrary (NIL)
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/NIL.html
(NIOSH)
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NIOSH provides the web-based Nanoparticle Information Library designed to help occupational health professionals, industrial users, worker groups, and researchers organize and share information on nanomaterials, including their health and safety-associated properties.
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Review of Safety Practices in the Nanotechnology Industry – Phase One Report: Current Knowledge and Practices Regarding Environmental Health and Safety in the Nanotechnology Workplace (PDF)
http://cohesion.rice.edu/CentersAndInst/ICON/emplibrary/Phase%20I%20Report_UCSB_ICON%20Final.pdf
(ICON)
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This report was prepared for the International Council on Nanotechnology by the University of California, Santa Barbara and released on October 18, 2006.
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Nanotechnology: Looking as we Leap
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2004/112-13/focus.html
(EHP)
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Since 1989, when IBM researchers whimsically demonstrated a scientific breakthrough by constructing a 35-atom depiction of the company's logo, the ability to manipulate individual atoms has spawned a tidal wave of research and development at the nano (from the Greek word for "dwarf") scale. Nanomaterials are defined as having at least one dimension of 100 nanometers or less--about the size of your average virus.
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Nanotechnology: Now is the Time to Assess Risks
http://www.occupationalhazards.com/Issue/Article/37197/Nanotechnology_Now_is_the_Time_to_Assess_Risks.aspx
(Occupational Hazards)
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Companies working with nano-sized materials need to move proactively to define their potential risks and help develop appropriate standards and guidelines.
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NIOSH Safety and Health Topic: Nanotechnology
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/
(NIOSH)
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Occupational health risks associated with manufacturing and using nanomaterials are not yet clearly understood. The rapid growth of nanotechnology is leading to the development of new materials, devices and processes that lie far beyond our current understanding of environmental and human impact. Visit this page to access NIOSH documents on occupational health risks and current NIOSH activities.
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