Assessing and Managing Exposures to Nanomaterials in the Workplace

This chapter presents a strategy for assessing exposures to nanomaterials in the workplace. First, a general strategy to assess exposures to hazardous agents in the workplace is presented and discussed in the context of the considerable uncertainties introduced by nanotechnology and nanomaterials. These uncertainties include the importance of different routes of exposure, selection of appropriate occupational exposure limits, and choice of appropriate instrumentation to measure exposures. The last section provides a “best-practices” strategy for exposure assessment in the nanotechnology industry, taking these uncertainties into account, and leverages current knowledge on toxicology, epidemiology, and instrumentation. An emphasis is placed on airborne exposures, but the principles presented apply to other routes of exposures as well. This strategy includes concentration mapping as part of the basic characterization of the workplace, the proper identification and validation of similarly exposed groups of workers, and the development of ad hoc occupational exposure limits to effectively and efficiently manage exposures even with a modest level of resources.