The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a Federal Register notice on February 10, 2017, inviting comment on a proposed information collection plan, “Survey of Engineered Nanomaterial Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Practices.” The goal of the project is to assess the relevance and impact of NIOSH’s contribution to guidelines and risk mitigation practices for safe handling of engineered nanomaterials in the workplace. The...
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On February 1, 2017, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a blog item entitled “The Art and Science of OELs for Nanomaterials.” According to the item, NIOSH searched for proposals for occupational exposure limits (OEL) for new nanomaterials as part of the development of a World Health Organization (WHO) guideline for working safely with nanomaterials. The blog item cites the article “Occupational exposure limits for manufactured...
John Howard, M.D., Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), authored a January 10, 2017, NIOSH blog item entitled “Occupational Health Issues in the USA.” Howard shares a recent editorial he wrote in Occupational Medicine, “Occupational health issues in the USA,” that highlights some of the occupational safety and health issues identified as needing attention by the industry sector groups of the National Occupational Research Agenda...
November 2, 2016
NIOSH Announces Sampling Strategy to Help Identify Potential Nanomaterial Exposure in an Occupational Setting
On November 1, 2016, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a blog item entitled “Never fear! NEAT 2.0 is here! — How to perform nanomaterial exposure assessment in the workplace.” NIOSH notes that in 2009, it developed and was the first to recommend using the nanoparticle emission assessment technique (NEAT). According to NIOSH, NEAT made use of a condensation particle counter to identify tasks that result or can result in the...
On September 27, 2016, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Board of Scientific Counselors (BSC) met, and its discussion included engineering controls and nanomaterials. Kevin H. Dunn, Sc.D., CIH, a NIOSH Division of Applied Research and Technology (DART) mechanical engineer and member of NIOSH’s Nanotechnology Research Center, provided an update to the BSC on NIOSH’s evaluations, findings, recommendations, and guidance for reducing occupational exposures to...
October 6, 2016
NIOSH Announces Recent Publications on Nanotechnology and Certain Types of Carbon Nanotubes
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently announced the availability of the following publications:...
June 24, 2016
NIOSH Publishes PPOP on Nanotechnology Research Center
On June 15, 2016, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a number of Program Performance One-Pagers (PPOP), including a May 2016 PPOP on the NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC). The PPOP states that the NTRC focuses on increasing understanding of hazards and related health risks to workers who make and use nanomaterials and preventing occupational exposures to nanomaterials. The PPOP includes the following future NIOSH actions:...
The May 2016 issue of NIOSH Research Rounds includes an item entitled “Research Explores Workplace Exposure to Carbon Nanotubes.” The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) summarizes the following two published papers by NIOSH investigators with partners at Kazan State Medical University, in Kazan, Russia, that explore whether workplace exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotubes could pose a risk for lung disease. For both studies, participants...
April 13, 2016
OSTP Blog Item Notes Recent Reports Highlighting Continued Federal Commitment To NanoEHS
The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) posted on April 11, 2016, a blog item, authored by Lloyd Whitman, OSTP, and Dr. Treye Thomas, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), entitled “Supporting Responsible Development of Nanotechnology.” The item states that the following reports released in March 2016 highlight federal investments and activities in the area of nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety (nanoEHS) research, progress, and needs in understanding...
On April 4, 2016, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a report entitled Building a Safety Program to Protect the Nanotechnology Workforce: A Guide for Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises. The report states that employees may be at risk of exposure by inhalation, skin absorption, or ingestion. According to the report, several factors can affect their potential for exposure, including: The report states that the best way to control potential exposures and...