Category: Workplace

Moving Toward Consistent Health Data

Posted May.08, 2013 under Carbon nanotubes, Environment, Government Agencies, Health, Nanotoxicology, Research, Safety, Workplace

Lab beakerOne of the hallmarks of scientific knowledge is the ability of researchers to replicate results.  This has eluded scientists studying the health effects of exposure to nanomaterials for a variety of reasons.  Among the factors are:  the unavailability of standardized engineered nanomaterials for testing; differences among the many manufacturers of nanomaterials; lack of standard protocols; and variations in toxicity among particles due to the way the particles behave in certain situations. 

To attempt to resolve these problems, dozens of researchers from universities and NIOSH participated in what has been called the NanGo Consortium to conduct health studies on engineered nanomaterials using the same materials and developing standard protocols.  The program was developed by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

The inter-laboratory, multi-investigator Consortium defined some of the challenges it faced as follows:

“In addition to dose, there are multiple factors that influence the toxicity of ENMs, including surface characteristics, charge, and shape. Size alone is a major determinant as many bulk materials that are relatively inert become toxic when produced at the nanoscale. . . . Determination of which ENMs will present the greatest potential threat to human health depends on relative toxicity, and on the potential for exposure.”  (pp. 5-6)

The Consortium conducted two broad sets of studies.  The first involved rats and mice exposed to carbon nanotubes and titanium dioxide, and measured pulmonary inflammation.  The Consortium concluded:  “The results presented and discussed herein demonstrate that a standard protocol can be used across multiple laboratories to yield similar results in the pulmonary inflammatory response.” (pp. 6-7)  The researchers are optimistic that with this start, there will be opportunities to determine the impact that exposure to nanomaterials may have on human at the preventive stage.

The second study examined the effects of carbon nanotubes, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide in vitro in laboratory container studies.  The Consortium noted:  “A significant finding of this study was that the development of harmonized in vitro assay protocols made it possible to achieve reproducible results among different laboratories.” (p. 16)  This study, the Consortium concluded, “provides new information on the relative in vitro bioactivity of a large group of diverse ENM that can be used to inform future strategies for in vitro testing and predicting in vivo outcomes.” (p. 6)

These studies move researchers in the direction of being able to replicate results and ultimately draw reliable conclusions about the potential health hazards of exposure to nanomaterials, leading to effective regulation.

The NIEHS NanoGo Consortium reports are available at

http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/121/4/ehp.1205693.pdf

http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/121/4/ehp.1306561.pdf

 

Leave a Comment

Progress . . . and its Inevitable Consequences

Posted Jan.18, 2012 under Data storage, Environment, Health, Research, Safety, Workplace

chip-makerAn interesting and potentially revolutionary development in magnetic storage of data was announced a couple of weeks ago.  Researchers at I.B.M. have reported the development of a new class of nanomaterials that could lead to the development of new, significantly smaller memory chips and disk drives that will both hold vast amounts of information and use less power than the current class of silicon chips.  The report (Loth, Baumann, Lutz, Eigler, and Heinrich, Bistability in Atomic-Scale Antiferromagnets) appears in the journal Science at Vol. 335, no. 6065, pp. 196-99 (Jan. 13, 2012), and has been widely reported in the news media.  There is much excitement over this development, both for its inherent promise for data storage and for its potential in other areas.  Analysts have suggested that other new nanomaterials may be forthcoming using some of the same general methodologies and approaches of these researchers.

 Among other media sources, this development has been reported in the New York Times:

John Markoff, “New Storage Device is Very Small, at 12 Atoms,” N.Y. Times, Jan. 12, 2012, available at

www.nytimes.com/2012/01/13/science/smaller-magnetic-materials-push-boundaries-of-nanotechnology.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=nanomaterials&st=c

So while we are wowed by such progress, it only begs the same old question of what should be done to determine the hazards that the technology might pose to workers, the general public, and the environment.  As with so many of the technological developments using nanomaterials, there is little discussion of potential hazards at this juncture.  But when will we give some serious thought to them?  After the products are developed and marketed?  After adverse effects are manifested?  So maybe there won’t be any adverse effects.  But do we know that as we continue to be dazzled by the potential technological developments in the nanoworld?  At the risk of sounding very non-technological, maybe we need to refer back to that old adage – better to be safe than sorry.

Leave a Comment

A Giant Baby-Step Toward Nanoregulation

Posted Dec.22, 2011 under Asbestos, Carbon nanotubes, Environment, Government standards, Health, Nanotubes, Regulation, Safety, Workplace

imagesThe National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued what is being touted as the world’s first reference material for single-wall carbon nanotube soot.  In its statement, NIST calls single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) “perhaps the archetype of all nanoscale materials.”  The promise of SWCNT in industrial use is great (NIST chemical engineer Jeffrey Fagan stated that “full development of these materials should enable lighter, stronger materials, as well as improve many technologies from sensors to electronics and batteries”).  But as with most things, there’s a catch.

Production of SWCNT involves a complex process that is known for inconsistent quality, variability from batch to batch, and significant resulting impurities.  NIST has sought to provide the first standardized guidelines – both chemical and metric – to the production of nanotubes, through the publication of its Standard Reference Material SRM 2483 – Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes (Raw Soot) on December 20, 2011.  The purpose of the SRM is to provide industrial developers and producers with a means to evaluate chemical and instrumental methods of analysis of carbon nanotubes with the goal of improving quality and consistency across the board.

Of special interest to me is the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for SWCNT raw soot, which was simultaneously issued by NIST.  The MSDS reveals that little is known about the potential hazards of this substance in the workplace setting.  The MSDS contains the following statement regarding single-wall carbon nanotubes raw soot:

“According to NIOSH, currently there are no studies reported in the literature of adverse health effects in workers producing or using carbon nanotubes or carbon nanofibers.  The concern about worker exposure to these materials arises from results of animal studies.  Several studies in rodents have shown an equal or greater potency of carbon nanotubes compared to other inhaled particles known to be hazardous to exposed workers (ultrafine carbon black, crystalline silica, and asbestos) in causing adverse lung effects including pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis.”

Did the word “asbestos” jump off the page?  And just because this substance is not listed as a potential carcinogen in the National Toxicology Program (NTP) Report on Carcinogens, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs, or by OSHA does not mean that it doesn’t pose a significant health risk to workers.  Pulmonary fibrosis, in the form of asbestosis and silicosis, has been a major public health problem for decades and a legal problem of immeasurable proportions.

Furthermore, the MSDS states, under Toxicology Information, that “[a]nimal in vitro cell studies have shown that SWCNT can cause genotoxicity and abnormal chromosome number due to interference with mitosis.”  But the research has not yet demonstrated any effects in the animals other than the observed impact, perhaps because the technology is so new and the research in its infancy.

Under Ecotoxicity Data, the MSDS states, “No data available.”

Clearly, there is an urgent need for more study of the potential health hazards of SWCNT, both acute and chronic.  So while the Standard Reference Material is a giant step toward consistency of standards, the MSDS reveals that it is only a baby step in the larger scheme of things.  Much research needs to be done on the impact of these new technologies on workers and ultimately on consumers and the environment.

The NIST statement, with image, is available at

http://www.nist.gov/mml/polymers/cnt-122011.cfm

The Standard Reference Material is available at

https://www-s.nist.gov/srmors/view_detail.cfm?srm=2483

The MSDS, with sources, is available through a link from the Standard Reference Material page immediately above.

1 Comment

Carbon Nanotubes and the Asbestos Thing

Posted Oct.12, 2011 under Asbestos, Carbon nanotubes, Health, Research, Toxic Torts, Workplace

asbestos-fibreI have written here about various ways in which nanomaterials may be comparable to asbestos – both in the ways nanoparticles may impact the human body and the ways the law may respond.  So it’s not surprising that one more comparison has emerged recently.

 Scientists from Brown University have studied the impact of carbon nanotubes on mouse cells.  Their study, published in the September 19, 2011 issue of Nature Nanotechnology, showed that certain types of multi-walled carbon nanotubes enter cells in a way that causes an immune response and cellular inflammation.  The physical properties of the nanotubes are responsible for this reaction.  As the researchers stated in their abstract, “cylindrical one-dimensional nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes enter cells through the tip first.”  Certain nanotubes – those with end caps or carbon shells at their tips – seem to trigger the inflammatory reaction.  The researchers mention asbestos fibers in their abstract as being analogous (though they are clearly physically different) in this important aspect.

Does this mean that carbon nanotubes will create the same health problems that asbestos created?  Not necessarily.  Some might consider asbestos-related illness to be one of the major scourges of the last quarter of the 20th Century and well beyond.  Asbestos has shaped the law in relation to workplace safety and mass tort litigation, and has transformed industry.  Asbestos is a naturally occurring substance, and its use has been limited since the 1970s.  Its health effects, however, are ongoing because symptoms of asbestos-related disease typically occur after a latency period that may be quite long.

Nanomaterials, however, are engineered and represent new technology in a new technological world.  A new response is warranted.  What can be done going forward?  Scientists may be able to engineer carbon nanotubes in a way that will eliminate this particular inflammatory response.  But more research needs to be done before that.  For example, these same researchers intend to study whether nanotubes with others types of tips create the same or similar cellular response.

For now, we may be heading in the direction of “intelligent tip modification,” as the researchers refer to it.  Let’s hope we aren’t headed down the asbestos road again.

 

The abstract of the article may be accessed at

http://www.nature.com/nnano/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nnano.2011.151.html

 

For a report on the Brown University study, see the following piece in the BNA subscription service:

Greg Hellman, Researchers Show How Carbon Nanotubes Pierce Cells, Leading to Inflammation, 18 Daily Env’t Rep. (BNA) A-12 (Sept. 20, 2011).

2 Comments

White House Takes a Science-Based Approach to the Study and Regulation of Nanotechnology

Posted Jun.15, 2011 under Cosmetics, Drugs, Environment, EPA, FDA, Food, Government Agencies, Governmental Interaction, Health, Pesticides, Regulation, Safety, Statutes, Workplace

white-house-south-2007-djIn a June 9, 2011, memorandum to the heads of U.S. executive departments and agencies, entitled Policy Principles for the U.S. Decision-Making Concerning Regulation and Oversight of Applications of Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials, the White House confirmed its commitment to a “science-based” approach to health and safety matters related to nanotechnology.  The memorandum issued from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The memorandum described its approach as

“generally applicable principles relevant to promoting a balanced, science-based approach to regulating nanomaterials and other applications of nanotechnology in a manner that protects human health, safety, and the environment without prejudging new technologies or creating unnecessary barriers to trade or hampering innovation.”

The memorandum went on to explain that the approach it establishes is inherent in the risk-based approach commonly used by federal agencies such as the FDA, but is grounded in best available, and evolving, science.

 This is a tall order.  It is important that the White House explicitly addressed nanotechnology and nanomaterials, rather than using the vague term “emerging technologies,” as it has done in the past.  But perhaps the most significant part of the memorandum is in its elevation of the science-based approach over other possible approaches (technology-based, economics-based, etc.) to the study and regulation of nanomaterials.

 Intending to provide guidance to existing federal agencies, the memorandum stated:  “Federal agencies should avoid making scientifically unfounded generalizations that categorically judge all applications of nanotechnology as intrinsically benign or harmful.”  Consumer trust, the memorandum went on to say, is important in encouraging technological innovation.

 On the one hand, the memorandum eased industry concerns that nanotechnology will be viewed as “bad” and all nanomaterials as “hazardous” because of the flurry of attention focused on the technologies and the concerns voiced by various groups.  But on the other hand, the message is clear that science will govern the study of nanomaterials and any decisions about whether or how to regulate.  And that is also a message to industry to come forward with the science that the agencies need.

 The memorandum also announced the creation of an interagency working group to coordinate this basic framework across agency lines, promote coordination of regulatory activities, and share information.

 How is this policy likely to play out in the relevant departments and agencies?  Here are a couple of recent steps that illustrate the initial approach:

 ●  On June 10, 2011, the FDA issued a Draft Guidance, Considering Whether an FDA-Regulated Product Involves the Application of Nanotechnology, to provide manufacturers, suppliers, importers, and other stakeholders with the FDA’s “current thinking” on the subject.  The Draft Guidance was issued in conjunction with the White House memorandum.  The document provided no definitions, nor did it provide any information on the regulatory status of any products.  Rather, the document stated that its purpose is “to help industry and others identify when they should consider potential implications for regulatory status, safety, effectiveness, or public health impact that may arise with the application of nano-technology in FDA-regulated products.”

 The FDA Draft Guidance is available at

http://www.fda.gov/RegulatoryInformation/Guidances/ucm257698.htm

 ●  A similar document was issued by EPA setting forth its proposed policy for obtaining data on nanoscale materials in pesticides, pursuant to its authority under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).  Another important aspect of what EPA is considering is a case-by-case analysis of whether a nanoscale ingredient in a pesticide is considered “new” for the purpose of study and regulation.  This is a sharp departure from EPA’s earlier stance that it would consider all nanoscale ingredients as “new,” whether or not a non-nanoscale form of the ingredient was already registered under FIFRA.  The new approach is consistent with the urging of the White House memorandum that agencies avoid generalizations about nanomaterials and based all decision on the scientific evidence.

 The prepublication version of this notice is available at

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/regulating/prepub-nanopest.pdf

 

The White House memo is available at

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/inforeg/for-agencies/nanotechnology-regulation-and-oversight-principles.pdf

Leave a Comment

Dipping Into the Regulatory Alphabet Soup Once Again: A Dilemma

Posted Jun.07, 2011 under Chemicals, Cosmetics, Drugs, Environment, EPA, Health, International Nanoregulation, Pesticides, Regulation, Safety, Statutes, Workplace
prod liab imageListening to the speakers at the American Bar Association section webinar on the subject of “Nano Governance:  The Current State of Federal, State, and International Regulation,” discussed in a recent blog post, I was struck by the proliferation of “alphabet soup” agencies and programs involved in deciding whether and how to regulate nanomaterials in the workplace, consumer products, and the environment.  The short list includes such well-known acronyms as FDA, EPA, OSHA, NIOSH, CPSC, NNI, TSCA, FIFRA, FHSA, REACH, and ISO (International Organization for Standardization), as well as many lesser known acronyms, such as SNUR (Significant New Use Rule), PPPA (Poison Prevention Packaging Act of 1970), CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act), OCSPP (EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention), NMSP (Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program), NICNAS (Australian National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme), WPMN (international Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials), and many similar legislation and agencies on the state level.

The good news is that nanotechnology is receiving much attention across the board from regulatory agencies.  The less good news is that the work of determining the health and safety effects of nanomaterials on humans and the environment, including ecological systems, is fragmented and slow.

The U.S. federal government, by necessity, is comprised of a web of agencies and programs, each with many jobs.  With so much work to be done, smaller and smaller groups are focusing on specific research and problem solving initiatives.  As the federal government is accustomed to doing in many areas of concern, efforts to coordinate agencies and programs devoting a fraction of their time to nanotechnology health and safety issues are being utilized.  One clearinghouse for the efforts across the government is the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI).  Is that enough to prevent duplication of effort and resources and to encourage communication and progress?

The dilemma is not new.  It is at the foundation of all complex systems.  To get something done, the groundwork must be laid by a highly focused group.  As recommendations move along the regulatory channels, eventually (maybe) the work results in action by way of regulations or new/amended statutes.  Greater oversight and decision making at the top of the regulatory pyramid may sound more efficient, but the careful groundwork could be lost and the democratic principles on which our regulatory system is based (including publication and public comment) could be diminished.

Leave a Comment

Thinking Again about Nanoparticles and Asbestos

Posted Mar.29, 2011 under Asbestos, Environment, EPA, Governmental Interaction, Health, Litigation, Nanotubes, Products Liability, Regulation, Research, Safety, Toxic Torts, Workplace

asbestos-fibreEarlier, I wrote about some potential similarities between asbestos personal injury litigation and the litigation that is certain to come over nanoparticles and human health.  I will be writing on and off about this topic going forward as well.  I can’t emphasize enough the urgency of avoiding another disaster like asbestos litigation, which has clogged the courts since the 1970s.

For example, engineered nanomaterials are being placed into building materials.  In the first instance, these materials are being designed and manufactured in the primary workplace environment, thus potentially exposing workers to hazards about which little or nothing is known.  Another set of workers, those using the building materials in the secondary workplace, run the risk of exposure to potentially harmful substances.

The history of asbestos shows that the early studies were conducted on asbestos textile factory workers, but that meaningful studies on workers out in the field who were installing the materials lagged far behind.  Then, when the studies began to raise danger signals, the industry ignored those signals until the specter of mass litigation and government regulation forced recognition.  By then it was too late.

Nanomaterials present some of the same workplace issues, particularly when used in building materials.  The hazards of the primary workplace may be different from those in the secondary workplace.  Studies must be conducted on both types of environments.

Further, there is a third concern, which also mirrors the asbestos experience.  At some point down the line (years or decades), the anticipated life of the materials will expire, just as asbestos insulation materials have done.  At that point, degeneration of the materials could put nanomaterials into the environment to a degree that could endanger the safety of persons in the vicinity.

In the case of nanomaterials, do we know any of this for certain?  No.  But at the present time we know almost nothing about any of these safety issues.  In December, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) proposed a workplace exposure limit for carbon nanotubes and nanofibers.  This is a start; but without hard data, it is really only a guess.  And it is not necessarily consistent with limits for other substances.

While the industries creating and using nanomaterials will likely take seriously the lessons of asbestos, more should be done up front to ascertain the seriousness and scope of the hazards that the materials may present.  Now is the time.  If the hazards outrun the studies, the finish line will be litigation.

1 Comment

Moving in the Right Direction – Slowly

Posted Feb.11, 2011 under Chemicals, Cosmetics, Environment, Health, International Nanoregulation, Research, Safety, Workplace

Lab beakerA couple of weeks ago, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) announced the adoption of standards for some testing of nanoparticles.  Specifically the organization, based in Geneva, set standards for studying the inhalation toxicity of these substances.  The United States is a member of the ISO, through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).  Of course, the new standard has no binding effect on governments and their regulatory agencies, unless it is adopted.

According to the ISO web site, Dr. Peter Hatto, who chairs the ISO technical committee that developed the new standard, explained the need for it:

 “With the rapid expansion of nanotechnology applications comes a growing risk of exposure to potentially toxic substances, especially for workers in nanotechnology-based industries.  Moreover, if airborne nanoparticles were liberated from products, the general public could also be affected.”

Call it an advisory standard.  What is its value then?

●  It’s a start.  And coming from the international community, it will reach across national boundaries, with the possibility that it will generate not just regulations, but a measure of consistency and uniformity from country to country.

●  The statement of Dr. Hatto expressly recognizes the potential hazards for both workers in the nanotechnology industries and for consumers.

●  The standard recognizes that nanoparticles may behave differently from non-nanoscale particles.  Thus, Dr. Hatto said:  “Traditional methods used in other areas are considered insufficient for testing nanoparticles since parameters specific to them like particle surface area or number, might be crucial determinants of toxicity.”  Accordingly, the ISO developed specific methodologies to address these differences and the unique characteristics of nanoparticles.

●  The ISO effort highlights the fact that knowledge of the health and safety risks of nanoparticles is still in its infancy.  As ISO states, “scientists still have a lot to learn about nanoparticles.”

Will the standard be adopted or just be one more effort that is interesting and useful but doesn’t propel the safety efforts forward?

For information on the ISO and the inhalation toxicity standard, ISO 10808:2010, see

http://www.iso.org

Leave a Comment

Thinking About the Safe Global Workplace

Posted Jan.19, 2011 under Chemicals, Environment, European Union, Governmental Interaction, Health, International Nanoregulation, Research, Safety, Workplace
NASA stock photos

NASA stock photos

Earlier in this blog I wrote about the need for standardized definitions of nanomaterials so that all enterprises, government agencies, and international organizations can be on the same page when considering the need for regulation or compliance.  The need for consistency and conformity surfaces elsewhere, too, such as in communicating hazards in the workplace.

For some time, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been pondering these issues.  In 2009, OSHA proposed a rule to align the Hazard Communication Standard (which, among other things, classifies hazards and establishes appropriate means of communicating the hazards to workers, such as via Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs)) with the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS).  The problem is that not enough is known about the health and safety risks of nanomaterials at the present time, and this lack of knowledge has delayed accurate and appropriate hazard communication.

One issue is the absence of information about nanomaterial hazards on the MSDSs that must accompany chemicals from the manufacturer/importer to the workplaces where the chemicals will be used.  Currently, the U.S. Hazard Communication Standard is silent on this. 29 C.F.R. § 1910.1200. 

The lack of sufficient data has not deterred initiatives in other countries, however.  It has been reported that France has filed a document with the U.N. surveying research on the hazards of nanomaterials that has been carried out by the EU and elsewhere.  China has put into place some compulsory standards implementing the GHS.  And other countries on several continents are in the process of working on the GHS initiative.

In the most recent example, Switzerland issued guidelines in December 2010 to assist industry in providing important information to workers on safety data sheets (SDSs) about the safe handling of synthetic nanomaterials.  State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Safety Data Sheet (SDS):  Guidelines for Synthetic Nanomaterials (Dec. 21, 2010), available at http://www.seco.admin.ch/themen/00385/02071/index.html?lang=de

The basis for the Swiss action is summarized in its report as follows:

“A conclusive assessment of the risks caused by nano-sized materials is not currently possible, for two reasons.  On the one hand, no conclusive tests have been carried out on a wide variety of nano-objects and micro-sized particles can rarely be transferred onto corresponding nano-objects.  On the other hand, the toxicological test processes which are carried out nowadays can only be applied in a limited scope to nano-sized materials.

 Based on the results of animal experiments, potential damage to health cannot currently be ruled out for certain nano-sized materials.  Nano-particles in certain materials (e.g. flammable or catalytic substances) also conceivably represent a potential risk due to fire, explosions or unexpected chemical reactions.”  (Guidelines, p. 8 )

 Accordingly, the Swiss Guidelines recommend that:

“ •  existing SDSs should be supplemented by nano-specific data as set out in the information on the present document or

•  a separate SDS be drawn up for the nano-objects in question.” (Guidelines, p. 4)

 In the United States, the MSDS is the current gold standard for communicating hazard information to those who handle substances in the workplace.  Because of the possibility that substances at the nano-level may behave differently, it is best to err on the side of safety for workers and the environment.  Although it may not be possible to get every agency and country on the same page immediately, they should all make it a priority to get on page one.  The rest will follow.

 

Some material for this post was found in

Greg Hellman, Nanotechnology:  Lack of Data may Impede OSHA Plan to Create Hazard Class Aligned with GHS, 40 Occup. Safety & Health Rptr. (BNA) 444 (May 27, 2010) (subscription site)

Leave a Comment

A Novel Idea – Improve Education!

Posted Jan.11, 2011 under Governmental Interaction, Health, Nanotoxicology, Regulation, Research, Safety, Workplace

nano 3On November 30, 2010, the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), in commenting on the draft 2010 strategic plan of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), recommended that nanomaterial safety be incorporated in graduate curricula.  AIHA lamented that many recent American graduate school degree recipients are ill-equipped to effectively assess the industrial health and safety risks of nanomaterials in industrial settings.  And, as AIHA pointed out, many recent grads have already had significant exposures to nanomaterials.

 The beginnings of a solution are relatively simple.  AIHA has recommended that the consortium of federal agencies involved in implementing the NNI strategic plan develop guidelines for graduate research programs.  The draft plan itself contains suggestions for actions by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), such as investigation of a broad spectrum of nanomaterials and recommendation of safe exposure limits.

 The full solution may be much more complex, however.

 This issue reminds me of a broader concern that receives news coverage from time to time.  Maybe not often enough.  We frequently hear that the United States continues to lag behind the rest of the developed world in student science performance.  The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), of which the United States is a member, keeps track of such things.  In the most recent rankings of science performance among OECD nations (updated rankings due soon), the United States continued to be below average and ranked 22.

 The bar is being set a little higher for science performance in the schools with the proliferation of nanotechnologies and their highly sophisticated use in many products and medical procedures.  AIHA has said that many newly minted scientists “are unaware of the fundamentals of nanomaterial safety.”  Beyond assuring that nanomaterial safety fundamentals are taught and implemented in graduate programs, nanotechnology and nanomaterial safety should become a part of the basic science curriculum at every relevant level of American education.

 Source:

Greg Hellman, Industrical Hygienists Say Nanomaterial Safety Should be Part of Graduate Curriculums, BNA Chemical Regulation Rptr, Nov. 30, 2010

 Some information on OECD rankings is available at

http://ourtimes.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/oecd-education-rankings/

2 Comments