Nanomaterials: Assessing workplace exposure and controls

Published: 12-Nov-2015

The UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) recently commissioned a project to improve understanding of the growing nanomaterials industry in the UK and employees’ potential exposure to materials at the nanoscale. This article provides an overview of the project and a brief summary of the findings

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Nanotechnology is moving from the research environment into wider application in the workplace. Across the world there are companies large and small manufacturing or using nanomaterials, even though the scientific community does not, as yet, have a good understanding of whether working with nanomaterials poses a risk to workers’ health.

As a result, the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) decided to commission a project that would provide an improved understanding of the UK nanomaterial industry and of worker exposure to engineered nanomaterials. To do this it carried out visits to willing companies manufacturing or using these materials, to assess exposure levels to airborne nanomaterials and to review the effectiveness of the controls used.

The findings, prepared by the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) for the HSE, were recently published under the title: Summary of work undertaken to assess workplace exposure and control measures during the manufacture and handling of engineered nanomaterials*, and extracts have been used here.

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