NIOSH Report Recommends Specialized Lab Safety Practices for Engineered Nanomaterials
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has released a new report on "General Safe Practices for Working with Engineered Nanomaterials in Research Laboratories".
The report provides recommendations for engineering controls and safe practices to be used when handling engineered nanomaterials in laboratories and some pilot scale operations. The practices outlined in the report are designed to be implemented in addition to existing laboratory health and safety practices and chemical hygiene plans. NIOSH's website promises to provide additional guidance materials for working safely with engineered nanomaterials as knowledge of nanotechnology increases.
NIOSH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is the leading federal agency conducting research and providing guidance on the occupational safety and health implications and applications of nanotechnology. The agency's scientific research on nanotechnology focuses on the following central questions:
- How might workers be exposed to nanoparticles in the manufacturing or industrial use of nanomaterials?
- How do nanoparticles interact with the body’s systems?
- What effects might nanoparticles have on the body’s systems?
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication Number 2012-147, General Safe Practices for Working with Engineered Nanomaterials in Research Laboratories
