# Presentation: 202502

## 2006 National Response Team Worker Safety and Health Technical Conference
May 31 – June 1, 2006

***2006 National Response Team Worker Safety and Health Technical Conference***
***May 31 – June 1, 2006***

- Nanotechnology Initiative

**Paul F. Wambach, CIH**Industrial Hygienist
- Office of Epidemiology and Health Surveillance

## National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)

- The National Nanotechnology Initiative first funded National Science Foundation in FY-01 to coordinate Federal R&D
- 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, December 2003
- For FY 2006, estimated R&D funding totals over $1 billion across 11 agencies; 11 additional participating agencies
- For more information see the NNI strategic plan at http://www.nano.gov/NNI_Strategic_Plan_2004.pdf

## 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act

**National Science Foundation **
**Funds basic research and has a coordination role**
**National Institute for Science and Technology**
**Methods for characterizing and naming new materials**
**Environmental Protection Agency **
**Funds health protection research**
**National Toxicology Program**
**NIOSH http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/**

## DOE NNI Mission 

**Provide the physics, chemistry, and computational tools needed to make nanotechnology possible. **
**$1.5 billion appropriated over 4 years for building and operating 5 Nanoscale Science Research Centers**
**Center for Functional Nanomaterials at Brookhaven National Laboratory **
**Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies at Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories**
**Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory **
**Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne National Laboratory **
**Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory **

## ES&H Risks of Nanoscale Materials

**Chemical reactivity of nanoscale materials different from more macroscopic form, e.g., gold**
**Vastly increased surface area per unit mass, e.g., upwards of 100 m****2**** per gram**
**New physical forms of common chemical elements change properties, e.g. proteins **
**Do these properties lead to new and unique health risks ...?**

## Airborne Nanomaterials

**PROCESS**

**Primary Particles**

**Aggregates & Agglomerates**

**Droplets**

- Small diameter
- (~5 - 30 nm)
- High surface area
- Deposition throughout the respiratory tract and rapid uptake

- High surface area
- Typically ~ 100 - 1000 nm in diameter
- Deposition in the lung uptake by immune system cells

- Residue can have nanostructure
- And high surface area
- Deposition throughout the respiratory tract and gut

**Courtesy Andrew Maynard - NIOSH**

## ES&H Challenges

**No standard nomenclature or material specifications**
**Hazard testing not keeping pace with materials development**
**No exposure limits**
**Hype – research and materials called nano to gain support**
**Dread – exotic, unfamiliar hazard**

## Risk Management Initiatives

**DOE P 456.1 SECRETARIAL POLICY STATEMENT ON NANOSCALE SAFETY**
**DOE and its contractors will identify and manage potential health and safety hazards and potential environmental impacts at sites . . .**
**Nanoscale Science Research Centers Group**
**NIOSH and ANSI **
**EFCOG Occupational Safety and Health Group**
**Nano material: Hazard Assessment, Health Risks, and Safety Analysis Process project was approved at the joint EFCOG/DOE Chemical Management Workshop, March 14-16**
**29 individuals have volunteered to participate. **

## Integrated Safety Management

## Define Scope of Work

**What distinguishes nanotechnology from other material science projects?**** **
**Nanoscale Science Research Centers will characterize and test samples of nanoscale engineered materials.**** **
**Application of nanotechnology to energy and defense research and development.**
**Pilot plant scale production operations?**

## Analyze Hazards

**Are there equipment and process materials that are unique to nanotechnology?**
**What assumptions should be made on the hazards of untested materials?**
**How do we interpret exposure monitoring results without exposure limits? **
**What medical tests and examinations should be used to monitor nanotechnology workers?**

## Develop and Implement Hazard Controls

**Are facility, utility, and equipment codes and standards currently in use for materials science****sufficient?**** **
**Are UK Control Banding or ILO Toolkit strategies useful for health risk management?**** **
**Are existing procedures sufficient for assuring visiting scientists know how to protect themselves?**

## Control Banding

**Qualitative Job Hazard Analysis**
**Exposure Bands Instead of OELs**
**Control Bands**
**Two flavors**
**UK HSE COSSH Essentials (and very similar ILO ****Occupational Risk Management Toolkit****)**
**Pharmaceutical and other industry specific methods**

## Risk Assessment

**What is the Health Hazard (Exposure Band)**
**R phrases from Globally Harmonized MSDS**
**How much is being used**
**Low – grams or milliliters**
**Medium – kilograms or liters**
**High – Tons or cubic meters**
**Exposure Pontential**
**Boiling Point/Operating Temperature**
**Pellets – Granules - Powder **

## Exposure Bands

## Control Bands

**A – Use Good Industrial Hygiene Practice**
**B – Use local exhaust ventilation**
**C – Enclose process****	**
**D – Seek specialist advice**
**Pharmaceutical: No open handling (closed systems required)**
**E – Seek specialist advice **
**Pharmaceutical: No manual operations/human intervention (robotics or remote operations required)****	**

## Pharmaceutical Industry Specific Method

**Potency (mg/day)****	****8-Hr TWA (mg/m****3****) ****	**
**>100****	****	****	****	****>1**
**10-100****	****	****	****	****0.1-1****	**
**1-10****	**** ****	****	****	****0.01-0.1**
**0.1-1****	**** ****	****	****	****0.001-0.01**
**<0.01 ****	****	****	****	****<0.001**
**Unknown ****	****	****	****0.01-0.1**

## Pharmaceutical Industry Specific Method

**Uses a more sophisticated health hazard rating method.**
**MSDSs with R phrases aren’t available**
**Toxicity data generated during the research and development process**
**Doesn’t include qualitative exposure assessment **
**Relatively small number of typical operations**

## Feedback and Improvement 

**Occurrence Investigation and Reporting**
**Definition of a nanotechnology occurrence **** **
**Health Surveillance**
**Medical Surveillance – sentinel health event or unusual pattern of injury, illness, or clinical finding**
**Exposure Surveillance – unusual events or higher than expected exposures**
**Health and exposure data linked to individual identifier**
**Routine collection, analysis and dissemination of information to those who need to know**

## Conclusions

**NNI legislation has established public policy **
**Secure the benefits of nanotechnology**
**Manage the risks**** **
**Ready, shoot, aim – Feedback is important**
**Passive surveillance – injury, illness, and occurrence reporting – has limited ability to answer questions**
**Active surveillance – worker registries – needed to identify potential health effects as early as possible. **