Nanotechnology

Partnerships & Collaborative Workshops

Partnerships

The following are some of the ongoing Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC) partnerships and collaborations in nanotechnology research:

• American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)
  
• American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH)
• Dupont and the Nanoparticle Occupational Safety and Health (NOSH) industry consortium on issues related to the measurement of nanoparticles and the efficiency of filtration materials for engineered nanoparticles.
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  
• Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences on software modifications for use in lung dosimetry modeling.
• IBM on evaluating the bioactivity of silicon nanowires.
• Institute of Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh, Scotland, on revising rat lung dosimetry models to account for particle size-specific clearance and retention.
• International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) on the respirator filter media work being conducted at the University of Minnesota to assess the filtration efficiency against nanoparticles.
• Karolinska Institute on evaluating the effect of nanomaterials on immune cells.
• Mitsui Co. Inc. on evaluating the bioactivity of MWCNT.
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to evaluate the toxicity of single walled carbon nanotubes.
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences/ National Institute of Health and the Department of Defense on nanotoxicology.
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on evaluating the toxicity of nanoparticles.
• National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) through active participation in NNIs strategic and budget planning processes, and coordination of research into occupational safety and health of nanotechnology with other government agencies.
  
• National Toxicology Program (NTP) on field assessments and toxicological research.
• Oak Ridge Laboratory to evaluate the pulmonary toxicity of nanoparticles.
• University of Cincinnati on research translation issues related to nanotechnolgy occupational and environmental health and safety.
  
• University of Iowa on measurement of airborne levels of ultrafine particles.
• University of Minnesota on measurement of airborne levels of ultrafine particles.
• University of Montana on evaluating the toxicity of nanowires.
• University of Pittsburgh on the toxicity of nanomaterials.
• University of Rochester on the ability of nanoparticles to generate radical species.
• West Virginia University Nanotechnology Center on evaluating the toxicity of metal oxide nanowires.
• West Virginia University Medical School on evaluating the effects of pulmonary exposure to nano. TiO₂ on systemic microvascular function.

Collaborative Workshops:

• In Fiscal Year (FY) ‘05 NIOSH co-sponsored the 1st International Symposium on Nanotechnology and Occupational Health in Buxton, United Kingdom
• In FY ‘06, NIOSH co-sponsored the 2nd International Symposium on Nanotechnology and Health in Minneapolis, MN.
• In FY ‘07:
  • NIOSH collaborated with the International Aerosol Research Assembly and the American Association for Aerosol Research to hold an International Symposium on Nanotechnology and Health in conjunction with the International Aerosol Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota.
  • NIOSH and the University of Cincinnati co-sponsored the International Conference on Nanotechnology Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety: Research to Practice, in Cincinnati, OH.  
  • NIOSH convened a collaborative workshop that included representatives from government, academia, labor, and industry in Washington, DC to review a draft document developed by NIOSH and a cross agency work group, titled “Interim Guidelines on Medical Screening of Workers Potentially Exposed to Engineered Nanoparticles.”
  • NIOSH co-sponsored the 3rd International Symposium on Nanotechnology Safety & Health in Taipei, Taiwan.
• In FY ’08, NIOSH began to participate in the planning of the 4th International Congress on Nanotechnology Safety and Health planned for August 2009, in Helsinki, Finland.