In a new guidance document for workers who handle nanomaterials, the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) provides recommendations
on engineering controls and safe practices for working with these engineered
materials in laboratories and pilot scale operations.
The NIOSH guide, General Safe Practices for Working with Engineered
Nanomaterials in Research Laboratories (PDF*), was designed to be used
alongside well-established practices and a laboratory's chemical hygiene plan.
Workers who use nanomaterials in research or production processes may be
exposed to nanoparticles through inhalation, skin contact, or ingestion,
depending on how the materials are used and handled. Although the potential
health effects of such exposure are not fully understood at this time,
scientific studies indicate that at least some of these materials are
biologically active, may readily penetrate intact human skin, and have produced
toxicologic reactions in the lungs of exposed experimental animals. For more
information about the health effects, workplace assessments, and controls for
nanomaterials, visit OSHA's Nanotechnology page.
AplusA-online.de - Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)