Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
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Handling. nanostructured. powders. will. lead. to. the. possibility. of.
aerosolization.
Maintenance. on. equipment. and. processes. used. to. produce. or. fabricate.
nanomaterials.or.the.clean-up.of.spills.or.waste.material.will.pose.a.poten-
tial.for.exposure.to.workers.performing.these.tasks.
Cleaning.of.dust.collection.systems.used.to.capture.nanoparticles.can.pose.
a.potential.for.both.skin.and.inhalation.exposure.
Machining,. sanding,. drilling,. or. other. mechanical. disruptions. of. mate-
rials. containing. nanoparticles. can. potentially. lead. to. aerosolization. of.
nanomaterials.
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4.8.1 e
xpOsure
a
ssessment
and
C
haraCteriZatiOn
Until.more.information.becomes.available.on.the.mechanisms.underlying.nanopar-
ticle.toxicity,.NIOSH.believes.that.it.is.uncertain.as.to.what.measurement.technique.
should. be. used. to. monitor. exposures. in. the. workplace.. Current. research. indicates.
that.mass.and.bulk.chemistry.may.be.less.important.than.particle.size.and.shape,.
surface.area,.and.surface.chemistry.(or.activity).for.nanostructured.materials..Many.
of.the.sampling. techniques.available.for.measuring. airborne.nanoaerosols.vary.in.
complexity. but. can. provide. useful. information. for. evaluating. occupational. expo-
sures.with.respect.to.particle.size,.mass,.surface.area,.number.concentration,.com-
position,.and.surface..Unfortunately,.presently.relatively.few.of.these.techniques.are.
readily.applicable.to.routine.exposure.monitoring.
Regardless. of. the. metric. or. measurement. method. used. for. evaluating. nano-
aerosol. exposures,. NIOSH. believes. that. it. is. critical. that. background. nanoaerosol.
measurements. be. conducted. before. the. production,. processing,. or. handling. of. the.
nanomaterial/nanoparticle..When.feasible,.personal.sampling.is.preferred.to.ensure.
an. accurate. representation. of. the. worker's. exposure,. whereas. area. sampling. (e.g.,.
size-fractionated.aerosol.samples).and.real-time.(direct.reading).exposure.measure-
ments.may.be.more.useful.for.evaluating.the.need.for.improvement.of.engineering.
controls.and.work.practices.
4.8.2 p
reCautiOnary
m
easures
Given.the.limited.amount.of.information.about.the.health.risks,.NIOSH.urges.cau-
tion. to. minimize. worker. exposures.. For. most. processes. and. job. tasks,. the. control.
of.airborne.exposure.to.nanoaerosols.can.be.accomplished.using.a.wide.variety.of.
engineering.control.techniques.similar.to.those.used.in.reducing.exposure.to.general.
aerosols..The.implementation.of.a.risk.management.program.in.workplaces.where.
exposure. to. nanomaterials. exists. can. help. minimize. the. potential. for. exposure. to.
nanoaerosols..Elements.of.such.a.program.should.include,.according.to.NIOSH:
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Evaluating.the.hazard.posed.by.the.nanomaterial.based.on.available.physi-
cal.and.chemical.property.data.and.toxicology.or.health.effects.data.
Assessing.potential.worker.exposure.to.determine.the.degree.of.risk.
The.education.and.training.of.workers.in.the.proper.handling.of.nanomate-
rials.(e.g.,.good.work.practices).
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