Researchers discuss safety guidelines for handling nanomaterials

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WASHINGTON, May 19, 2004 — U.S. officials are developing “best practices” guidelines that businesses may want to follow when handling nanomaterials, a government research official said Tuesday.

Given a shortage of research on the health effects of new engineered nanomaterials, officials from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), working at the direction of an interagency nanotechnology group, are developing the guidelines and hope to release them within a year, according to Andrew Maynard, a senior service fellow at NIOSH, a research agency.

Maynard discussed issues related to nanotechnology and worker health and safety during a briefing sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Meridian Institute, which are both sponsoring a series of discussions to explore policy issues related to nanotechnology.

While the guidelines are still being developed, he said, the primary message would be to treat nanomaterials with caution and take appropriate steps, such as wearing a protective mask when working with materials that could pose a risk.

There is a “big gap in knowledge” between the understanding of the toxicology of some nanomaterials and the potential effects that exposure to them may have on human health, Maynard said in an interview following the briefing.

He added that while “the research to date says there will be some effects,” scientists are just beginning to try to understand them. NIOSH and other government agencies have launched several studies on the potential health and environmental effects of nanomaterials.

“We’re at the early stage of understanding how they interact with the body,” Maynard said.

During his presentation, Maynard said that up to 2-million U.S. workers are currently exposed to ultra-fine materials and an estimated one million more Americans could be exposed through work in nanotechnology-based industries in the next decade.

Among the issues that researchers need to tackle include predicting the types of exposure and the exposure routes of nanomaterials being released in the workplace and what is being exposed to them. Once that is determined, the next challenge will be to find out how to control hazardous nanomaterials and to limit exposure to them, he said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has yet to issue any specific guidelines related to nanotechnology for employers.

“We are really just starting to look at what the issues are and trying to think about what kinds of informational products we should develop and would be most useful to people to help them develop effective worker safety and health programs,” said William Perry, director of OSHA’s Office of Chemical Hazards.

He said that employers are looking for guidance from OSHA and NIOSH. After researchers learn more about the potential health effects of exposure to nanomaterials, the agency will likely “tailor its guidance to operate in the (nanotechnology) area,” Perry said.

For now, he said, employers should look to OSHA’s existing guidelines on worker health and safety, which he said are applicable to a wide range of industries.

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