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NIOSH-HSE International
Symposium Scopes Nanotechnology
Research Needs
By plane, train, bus, and car, some 130 leading international experts
from industrial hygiene, toxicology, medicine, chemical engineering,
and other diverse disciplines converged on Buxton, England, on Oct. 12-14,
2004.
The expert group gathered for the first-ever International Symposium
on Occupational Health Implications of Nanomaterials, sponsored
by NIOSH and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the United Kingdom’s
counterpart to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in
the U.S. (HSE’s Health & Safety Laboratory, NIOSH’s
research counterpart in the U.K., is located in Buxton.)
NIOSH and HSE convened the research summit to examine occupational health
issues related to the production and use of nanomaterials: What is currently
known about potential exposures to nanoparticles in such processes? What
more do scientists and policy makers need to know, in order to understand
the potential occupational health impacts of this 21 st Century technology?
Nanotechnology “could be the next industrial revolution across
the world,” John Ewins, head of the science strategy and statistics
division of HSE, said in opening the conference.
In the United States, NIOSH is part of a multi-agency program to advance
U.S. leadership in this dynamically growing field by facilitating technology
transfer and coordinating research to promote wise stewardship. Through
the manipulation of materials at atomic, molecular, and macromolecular
levels, nanotechnology makes it possible to create new structures and
systems with unique properties and benefits. These include new tools
to improve medical diagnosis and treatment, cleaner and more efficient
energy sources, more powerful computers, and stronger building materials.
‘Kick-Started This Process’
Never before had leading researchers from the U.S., Europe, and Asia
met strategically to share their latest findings related to the occupational
health aspects of nanotechnology, and to lay out the areas of study needed
to fill critical gaps. “We got together a really effective group
of people with an immense amount of knowledge, and we kick-started this
process,” HSE’s Brian Fullam said Oct. 14 in closing remarks.
From three days of scientific presentations and workshop deliberations,
several consistent themes emerged:
- In themselves, studies to date do not provide all the information
needed for determining, with confidence, whether nanomaterials have
occupational health effects. However, they provide a good springboard
for designing new research that will move scientific understanding
significantly forward. “I came here thinking there were really
major gaps in our knowledge,” Dr. Fullam remarked. “I go
home thinking, ‘That’s true, but it’s not true.’ ”
- To fill existing gaps, collaborative research is needed across different
scientific disciplines. For example, studies are needed to better define
the properties and behavior of nanoparticles; develop a “metric” for
measuring exposure to nanoparticles in ways that correlate with potential
health factors; assess the adequacy of personal protective equipment;
and better assess the relevance of data from laboratory animal studies
for predicting potential human effects.
- While further research is planned and conducted, makers and users
of nanomaterials can take precautionary steps to control exposures,
using the traditional risk assessment/risk management approach and
instituting controls as appropriate.
- Tools to measure, assess, and control exposures need to be standardized
internationally, to avoid confusion and to promote scientific collaboration.
- Scientists and policy makers should maintain open communication with
the public as research, development, and application of nanotechnology
advances. It is important to engage discussion “not only among
you as experts in the field,” Mr. Ewins of the HSE told the participants, “but
[also to secure] the involvement and the confidence of the public.
If we lose the public’s trust about anything, then we are in
an uphill battle to recover it.”
2005 Nanotechnology Research Symposium Planned
In partnership with the University of Minnesota, NIOSH will sponsor
a Second International Symposium on Nanotechnology and Occupational
Health on Oct. 4-6, 2005, in Minneapolis, Minn. www.cce.umn.edu/nanotechnology That
conference “is going to be, if anything, more important [than the
2004 symposium] as we look back, see where we have gotten and see what
gaps we’ve started to plug, and take another big step forward,” Dr.
Fullam commented.
Under the National Nanotechnology Initiative and other partnerships,
including membership on the Nanostructured Science, Engineering and Technology
subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council committee
on technology, NIOSH conducts a robust program of research on nanotechnology
and occupational health. More information is available on the NIOSH nanotechnology
topic page at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/ Presentations
and proceedings from the 2004 symposium will be posted on the web page
as soon as they become available.
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