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...
Archives
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...
February 11, 2016
NIOSH Extends Comment Period on Draft CIB on Health Effects of Occupational Exposure to Silver Nanomaterials
On February 10, 2016, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a Federal Register notice extending the comment period on the draft NIOSH Current Intelligence Bulletin: Health Effects of Occupational Exposure to Silver Nanomaterials. As reported in our January 22, 2016, blog item, the draft Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) includes a review and assessment of the currently available scientific literature on the toxicological effects of exposure to...
January 22, 2016
NIOSH Publishes Draft CIB on Health Effects of Occupational Exposure to Silver Nanomaterials, Will Hold Public Meeting
On January 21, 2016, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced the availability of a draft NIOSH Current Intelligence Bulletin: Health Effects of Occupational Exposure to Silver Nanomaterials. The draft Current Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) includes a review and assessment of the currently available scientific literature on the toxicological effects of exposure to silver nanoparticles in experimental animal and cellular systems, and on the...
December 11, 2015
RAND Corporation Assesses NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Center
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a RAND Corporation (RAND) report entitled Nanomaterial Safety in the Workplace: Pilot Project for Assessing the Impact of the NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Center. In August 2014, NIOSH asked RAND to help develop and apply a method for assessing its Nanotechnology Research Center’s (NTRC) contribution to improving the safety and health of workers who could be affected by the production, use, reuse, or...
June 8, 2015
NIOSH Announces Paper Outlining Risks to Health Care Workers from Nano-Enabled Medical Products
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced that in a paper published May 7, 2015, online ahead of print in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, “NIOSH authors Vladimir Murashov and John Howard highlight occupational risk mitigation practices for nano-enabled medical products throughout their life cycle for major health care workplace settings.” The manuscript highlights occupational risk mitigation practices for nano-enabled medical...