On December 20, 2022, the European Union (EU) Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) published a Nanopinion entitled “Controlling Exposure to Nanomaterials” by Dr Araceli Sánchez, Spanish Institute of Health and Safety (INSST). Sánchez notes that over the last 15 years, scientists have paid attention to the development of new instruments capable of measuring personal exposure to nanosize particles, and new frameworks, methodologies, and standards to assess and control exposure to engineered...
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March 11, 2021
France Recommends OELs for Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles
On March 4, 2021, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) announced that it is recommending an eight-hour occupational exposure limit (OEL) of 0.80 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) for titanium dioxide nanoparticles. According to ANSES, compliance with this value “should help prevent lung inflammation, an effect that occurs at the lowest exposure concentrations.” Due to the lack of available data on the immediate or...
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a Federal Register notice on December 17, 2019, requesting information on toxicological and physicochemical data of engineered nanomaterials (ENM) to evaluate in developing categorical occupational exposure limits (OEL). 84 Fed. Reg. 68935. As reported in our December 16, 2019, blog item, NIOSH intends to develop categorical OELs based on the available scientific evidence regarding the...
March 29, 2019
California Committee Includes Ultrafine Titanium Dioxide on Its Draft Priority 1 List for PEL Review
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s (Cal/OSHA) Health Effects Advisory Committee (HEAC) for the Development of Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL) will meet on June 4, 2019. According to the meeting agenda, HEAC will discuss the selection of Priority 1 substances for HEAC review. HEAC has posted a draft 2019 Priority 1 List consisting of ten chemical substances. The draft List includes titanium dioxide, ultrafine (<100 nanometers...
On February 1, 2017, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) posted a blog item entitled “The Art and Science of OELs for Nanomaterials.” According to the item, NIOSH searched for proposals for occupational exposure limits (OEL) for new nanomaterials as part of the development of a World Health Organization (WHO) guideline for working safely with nanomaterials. The blog item cites the article “Occupational exposure limits for manufactured...
October 23, 2016
ISO Standard Provides Overview of Frameworks for Developing OELs and OEBs for NOAAs
On November 21, 2016, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) released ISO/TR 18637:2016, “Nanotechnologies — Overview of available frameworks for the development of occupational exposure limits and bands for nano-objects and their aggregates and agglomerates (NOAAs).” ISO notes that occupational exposure limits (OEL) are generally substance-specific. In some case, there is insufficient data to develop an OEL, especially for substances such as nano-objects and...
August 18, 2015
UK Report Assesses Workplace Exposure and Control Measures During the Manufacture and Handling of Engineered Nanomaterials
The United Kingdom’s Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prepared a report entitled Summary of work undertaken to assess workplace exposure and control measures during the manufacture and handling of engineered nanomaterials. The report notes that HSE and HSL attempted to identify and engage with companies that manufactured or used nanomaterials, but only four volunteered to take part in this project. The report cautions that the...
May 18, 2012
Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health Considers Dispersible Engineered Nanomaterials
The Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health (FACOSH) met on May 3, 2012, during which it discussed the use of occupational exposure levels (OEL) by the federal government. Because the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) permissible exposure limits (PEL) have remained unchanged since their adoption on May 29, 1971, and do not account for advances in technology or the latest data, FACOSH asked its Emerging Issues Subcommittee to analyze federal...
December 28, 2009
Bayer Material Sciences Announces OEL for Baytubes
Last month, Bayer Material Science (BMS) announced that it derived an occupational exposure limit (OEL) of 0.05 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3) for Baytubes, BMS multi-wall carbon nanotubes. According to BMS, “[t]he latest results of sub-chronic inhalation studies support the conclusion that Baytubes act like poorly soluble particles.” BMS derived the OEL based on previous single and recent repeated inhalation studies. BMS states: “All relevant information...