Work-Accident -Compensation Accident Claim Work: nanotechnology

Selasa, 20 September 2011

US CDC Publishes Safety Nanotechnology Guidance

Citing concern over the occupational risks that potentially exist in nanotechnology, the US CDC has issued a safety guidance manual for the nanotechnology.

"Research has shown that materials on this small scale begin to exhibit physical, chemical, and biological behaviors that are quite unique. These unique properties raise concerns about the health impacts of nanotechnology, particularly among workers employed in nanotechnology-related industries."

References

U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative. Nano.gov: size of the nanoscale [http://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/nano-size

U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative. Nano.gov: Nanotechnology and you, benefits and applications. [http://www.nano.gov/you/nanotechnology-benefits

NIOSH [2010]. Nanotechnology Overview[ http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/].

International Organization for Standardization [2008]. ISO Standard 12885:2008 Nanotechnologies-Health and safety practices in occupational settings relevant to nanotechnologies.

Dahm MM, Yencken MS, Schubauer-Berigan, MK [in press]. Exposure control strategies in the carbonaceous nanomaterial industry. Journal of Occupational and Environmental 53(6S).

Roco M, Mirkin C, Hersam M [2010]. Nanotechnology research directions for societal needs in 2020: retrospective and outlook. Boston and Berlin: Springer. [http://wtec.org/nano2/

NIOSH [2009]. Approaches to safe nanotechnology: managing the health and safety concerns associated with engineered nanomaterials. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication Number 2009-125. [http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2009-125/].

Kamis, 28 Oktober 2010

Workers Compensation and Nanotechnology - The New Frontier

NIOSH research has revealed that breathing nanoparticles may result in damaging health effects.

"Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize countless products, create computers smaller and faster than once could be imagined, and fight diseases such as cancer. According to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnology, by the summer of 2009 there were 1,015 consumer products using nanotechnology. That represents nearly a 19-fold increase over the 54 products listed in 2005. Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of matter at a near-atomic scale. Nanoparticles measure from 1 to 100 nanometers in size, with 1 billion nanometers forming a meter. For comparison, a billion inches would nearly circle the Earth 2 times."

A 2004 survey estimatedthat nearly 25,000 U.S. workers were employed at businesses that exclusively produced nanotechnology products.
Nanoparticles can enter the body through many routes including inhalation, swallowing, ingestion, and absorption through the skin.
Nanotechnology may present health risks but it can also be used to protect workers. New respirator designs, for instance, use nanotechnology to create more effective filters to block harmful substances.

Authors of Inhalation Versus Aspiration of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in C57BL/6 Mice: Inflammation, Fibrosis, Oxidative Stress, and Mutagenesis—Anna Shvedova, Elena Kisin, Ashley Murray, Victor Johnson, Olga Gorelik, Sivaram Arepalli, Ann Hubbs, Robert Mercer, Phouthone Keohavong, Nancy Sussman, J. Jin, J. Yin, Samuel Stone, The-hsun Chen, Gregory Deye, Andrew Maynard, Vince Castranova, Paul Baron, and Valerian Kagan; Health Effects Laboratory Division; NIOSH—received the 2009 Alice Hamilton Award in the Biological Sciences category.

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