Description
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the Federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations to prevent work-related injury, illness, and death. As such, NIOSH is active in (1) identifying critical issues related to possible health hazards of nanomaterials, (2) protecting the safety and health of workers involved in this emerging technology, and (3) implementing a strategic plan to develop and disseminate methods for safely advancing the technology through workplace controls and safe handling procedures, and (4) investigating the possible applications of nanotechnology to solve workplace safety and health issues. Because of their small size and large surface area, engineered nanoparticles may have chemical, physical, and biological properties distinctly different from larger particles of similar chemical composition. Those properties may include the ability to reach the gas exchange regions of the lung, travel from the lung throughout the body, penetrate dermal barriers, cross cell membranes, and interact at the molecular level. NIOSH is investigating all of these properties, as it would with any new technology or material in the workplace, to provide the necessary guidance to ensure a safe and healthy workplace.
This is an edited, excerpted and augmented edition of a Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Instilute for Oocopational Safety and Health.
CONTENTS
Preface vii
Foreword 1
Executive Summary 3
Abbreviations 11
Acknowledgments 15
Introduction 17
Chapter 1 Toxicity and Internal Dose 25
Chapter 2 Risk Assessment 31
Chapter 3 Epidemiology and Surveillance 35
Chapter 4 Engineering Controls and Personal Protective Equipment 39
Chapter 5 Measurement Methods 45
Chapter 6 Exposure Assessment 49
Chapter 7 Fire and Explosion Safety 53
Chapter 8 Recommendations and Guidance 55
Chapter 9 Communication and Education 59
Chapter 10 Applications 63
Appendix A Project-Specific Progress Reports 65
Appendix B Field Research Team Progress Report 117
Appendix C Occupational Health Surveillance for Nanotechnology Workers 123
Appendix D Review of the NIOSH Extramural Nanotechnology
Research Program:FY 2001–FY 2006 125
Appendix E Nanotechnology Information Dissemination 135
Appendix F Other NTRC Partnership Activities and Presentations 141
Appendix G Projected Timeframe for Addressing Critical Areas 145
Appendix H Executive Summary Approaches to Safe Nanotechnology:
An Information Exchange with NIOSH 151
Index 157