Category: Nanotechnology
Safe Handling of Advanced Nanomaterials
In the last five years, research and development activities in the field of nanotechnology have shifted to include advanced nanomaterials. The main feature of advanced nanomaterials that distinguishes them from simpler nanomaterials, such as carbon black and nanoscale TiO2 used primarily as additives, is the ability of advanced nanomaterials to change or evolve properties during Read More >
Posted on by 5 CommentsRespiratory Protection for Workers Handling Engineered Nanoparticles
Are current NIOSH-approved respirators protective against engineered nanoparticles? Find out and read about current research and recommendations for the use and selection of respirators against engineered nanoparticles on the NIOSH Science Blog. Read More >
Posted on by 36 CommentsPleuropulmonary disease in a polyacrylate facility
Recent reports from India implicate dusts created by grinding polyacrylate polymer as an emerging occupational respiratory hazard causing interstitial lung disease and pneumothorax. Read More >
Posted on by 4 CommentsTitanium Dioxide: A Changing Paradigm in Occupational Risk Management
A recently released NIOSH guidance document on handling titanium dioxide (TiO2) powders in the workplace is possibly the first to recommend separate occupational exposure limits for the same material based on particle size. This document reflects increasing attention to evaluating and mitigating risks of emerging hazards in the workplace before adverse health effects occur in workers. Read More >
Posted on by 12 CommentsOccupational Disease and Nanoparticles
In the September issue of the European Respiratory Journal, the first medical case series of workers with serious disease that the study authors associate with exposure to nano-sized particles has been published. Investigators Y. Song, X. Li, and X Du of the Chaoyang Hospital of the Capital University of Medical Sciences in Beijing, China, report on a series of seven previously healthy young women who developed serious heart and lung disease after working at a print plant exposed to a chemical "paste" mixture containing undefined "nanoparticles" of approximately 30 nanometers in diameter. Read More >
Posted on by 10 CommentsNanotechnology: Human and Environmental Exposure Assessment of Nanomaterials Workshop
Because of the relative newness of nanotechnology, very little exposure data have been reported in the scientific literature. At this stage, measuring or determining risk becomes a little like trying to solve a mystery when major clues are missing. Scientists and engineers face this challenge even as the market for nanotechnology grows, and along with it, an increasing demand from diverse parties for guidance to underpin its responsible development. Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentPersistent Pulmonary Fibrosis, Migration to the Pleura, and Other Preliminary New Findings after Subchronic Exposure to Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are a type of engineered nanomaterial that shows promise for creating stronger, more durable building materials; improving cancer therapies; creating more efficient means of energy generation, storage, and transmission; and speeding computer processes. However, as with other types of engineered nanomaterials, the potential occupational health implications of MWNCTs are not well understood at this emergent stage of the technology. Read More >
Posted on by 25 CommentsNanotechnology: Should carbon nanotubes be handled in the workplace like asbestos?
Do the nanoparticles used in nanotechnology pose unintended risks of illness or injury for workers employed in the industry? The NIOSH Science Blog looks at one nanomaterial—carbon nanotubes—and discusses new research findings about their similarities to asbestos and how they should be handled in the workplace to protect workers. Read More >
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