Nanotechnology: The Next Big Thing, or Much Ado about Nothing?

IT News Online Staf; 23 oktober 2006 based on article in Annals of Occupational Hygiene
According to Dr. Andrew Maynard, Chief Science Advisor of the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, in less than a decade, nanotechnology is predicted to result in $2.6 billion in manufactured goods annually, however, little is known about potential risks in many areas of nanotechnology.
Dr. Maynard said that while there are already over 300 manufacturer-identified nanotechnology-based consumer products on the market-ranging from computer chips to automobile parts and from clothing to cosmetics and dietary supplements, funding for risk-focused research is only a small fraction of what is being spent on nanotechnology commercial applications. Greater resources and attention are needed now in order to ensure safe nano-workplaces today and in the future.

Dr. Maynard’s article, "Nanotechnology: The Next Big Thing, or Much Ado about Nothing?" just released by the Annals of Occupational Hygiene (Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society). The article will appear in print in January 2007 and currently is freely available online at http://annhyg.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/mel071v1.pdf.

"Because nanotechnology is a way of doing or making things rather than a discrete technology, there will never be a one-solution-fits-all approach for nanotechnology and nanomaterials workplace safety," said Dr. Maynard. "That is why the federal government needs to invest a minimum of $100 million over two years in targeted risk research in order to begin to fill-in our occupational safety knowledge gaps and to lay a strong, science-based foundation for safe nanotechnology workplaces."

In the short term, because of incomplete information, Dr. Maynard stresses the need to supplement good hygiene practices in the workplace with nano-specific knowledge. While initiatives such as the ORC Worldwide Nanotechnology Consensus Workplace Safety Guidelines, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) "Approaches to Safe Nanotechnology", and the International Council on Nanotechnology (ICON) "Review of Safety Practices in the Nanotechnology Industry", provide invaluable resources for working as safely as possible with engineered nanomaterials, Maynard believes we still have a long way to go.

Until more research is available, Dr. Maynard proposes developing a "control banding" approach to nanotechnology workplace risk, a course of action that is between inaction and banning all nanomaterials as hazardous. This could involve selecting appropriate control approaches based on a nanomaterial "impact index" centered on composition-based hazard, and perturbations associated with their nanostructure like particle size, shape, surface area and activity, and bulk-size hazard, and on an "exposure index" representing the amount of material used and its "dustiness".

"This is still very much at the conceptual stage," said Dr. Maynard. "But unconventional problems need unconventional solutions, and these in turn will require a serious investment in relevant nanotechnology risk research."
Maynard is a recognized leader in the fields of aerosol characterization and the implications of nanotechnology to human health and the environment. Dr. Maynard joined the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2000.
Nanotechnology is the ability to measure, see, manipulate and manufacture things usually between 1 and 100 nanometers. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter; a human hair is roughly 100,000 nanometers wide.
The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies is an initiative launched by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and The Pew Charitable Trusts in 2005. It is dedicated to helping business, government and the public anticipate and manage possible health and environmental implications of nanotechnology.

ABSTRACT of Little Known About Potential Risks in Many Areas of Nanotechnology: Nanotechnology encompasses an increasingly sophisticated ability to manipulate matter at the nanoscale, resulting in new materials, products and devices that demonstrate new and unusual behaviour. While emerging nanotechnologies have great potential for good, there are increasing concerns that the selfsame attributes that make them attractive will also lead to new risks to human health. Research to date suggests that some purposely made nanomaterials will present hazards based on their structure–as well as their chemistry–thus challenging many conventional approaches to risk assessment and management. People involved in making and using these materials need to know what the risks are and how to manage them, if safe nanotechnology-based businesses are to emerge. Yet the challenges faced by the occupational hygiene community in ensuring safe nano-workplaces are substantial. We currently know enough to suggest that some engineered nanomaterials will present new and unusual risks, but there is very little information on how these risks can be identified, assessed and controlled. And many nanomaterials are in production and use now. Good occupational hygiene practices and existing knowledge on working with hazardous substances provide a useful basis for working safely with nanomaterials. But where existing knowledge fails, new research is needed to fill the gaps: this must be strategically administered and targeted to addressing specific issues in a timely manner. Failing to take these steps will ultimately lead to people’s health being endangered and emerging nanotechnologies floundering. However, with foresight, sound science and strategic research, we have the opportunity to ensure that emerging nanotechnologies are as safe as possible, while reaching their full potential.

Lees ook:28 april de werlddag voor veilig werk: Make decent work a reality
Lees ook:China steekt 65 miljard euro in veiligere arbeidsomstandigheden
Lees ook:Muziekleraren krijgen het voor hun oren
Lees ook:Promotie op preventie coaching
Lees ook:Neem babies, honden en geiten mee naar het werk!