Nanotechnology and Occupational Health doc

[...]... writing On the other hand, the non-regulatory National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has developed several useful draft guidance documents regarding occupational safety and health practices for the nanotechnology industry (see, e.g., NIOSH, 2005) These documents address health and safety concerns, exposure monitoring, engineering controls, and workplace practices for nanotechnology manufacturing... ultrafine particles, health effects, safety, environmental health, occupational health, nanotechnology implications, environmental regulations, occupational regulations Abstract Nanotechnology, the design and manipulation of materials at the atomic scale, may well revolutionize many of the ways our society manufactures products, produces energy, and treats diseases New materials based on nanotechnology are... occupational and environmental protections generally are developed only after problems are identified or strongly suspected, and then As of June 2006, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had not published any standards, guidance, or position papers on nanotechnology While the agency does participate in the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), it is unclear what nanotechnology- specific... opportunity exists to recognize and control problems more proactively with nanotechnology A more detailed discussion of specific regulatory issues follows How well will current regulatory frameworks protect workers, the public and the environment from nanomaterial risks? Occupational Safety and Health Administration Nanotechnology will challenge current occupational and environmental regulatory frameworks... Presently, they do not constitute official guidance, but are draft documents open for public comment Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHAct), four types of standards are relevant for protecting workers from overexposure to nanomaterials: substance-specific standards, general respiratory protection standards, the hazard communication standard, and the ‘‘general duty clause.’’ Each is examined below... largest single investor in nanotechnology research and development, needs to spend more to assess the health and environmental implications of nanotechnology and ensure that the critical research needed to identify potential risks is done expeditiously Through the National Nanotechnology Initiative, the federal government spends about $1.3 billion annually on nanotechnology research and development Initial... These standards should include a framework and a process by which to identify and manage nanomaterials’ risks across a product’s full lifecycle, taking into account worker safety, manufacturing releases and wastes, product use, and product disposal Such standards should be developed and implemented in a transparent and accountable manner, including public disclosure of the assumptions, processes, and results... the occupational health and safety staff at the companies who must design and decide upon such voluntary measures The respiratory protection standard (29 CFR section 1910.134) requires employers to provide workers with respirators or other protective devices when engineering controls are not adequate to protect health The standard provides guidance in selecting specific personal protective equipment and. .. the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) may be used, and employers must assess the effectiveness of the respirators they supply The current lack of validated means to measure and characterize the form and size of nanoparticles in the air, as well as uncertainties regarding respirator performance, especially with particles between 30 and 70 nanometers and potential agglomerates... between a technology and the society to which it is to be introduced (Guston, 2000) These interactions are bi-directional On the one hand, new technologies influence a societyÕs economic and political structures and often raise issues related to the societyÕs values and culture, for example, its concepts of nature, its views of privacy, its attitudes toward personal empowerment and control, and its sense of . Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Editorial Special focus: Nanoparticles and Occupational Health Nanotechnology and occupational health: New technologies – new challenges Andrew. Occupational Health Guest Editors: Andrew D. Maynard and David Y.H. Pui Editorial Nanotechnology and occupational health: New technologies – new challenges A.D. Maynard and D.Y.H. Pui 1–3 Perspectives Nanotechnology. follows. Occupational Safety and Health Administration As of June 2006, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) had not published any standards, guidance, or position papers on nanotechnology.