A strategy for assessing workplace exposures to nanomaterials.
This article describes a highly tailorable exposure assessment strategy for nanomaterials that enables effective and efficient exposure management (i.e., a strategy that can identify jobs or tasks that have clearly unacceptable exposures), while simultaneously requiring only a modest level of resources to conduct. The strategy is based on strategy general framework from AIHA® that is adapted for nanomaterials and seeks to ensure that the risks to workers handling nanomaterials are being managed properly. The strategy relies on a general framework as the basic foundation while building and elaborating on elements essential to an effective and efficient strategy to arrive at decisions based on collecting and interpreting available information. This article provides useful guidance on conducting workplace characterization; understanding exposure potential to nanomaterials; accounting methods for background aerosols; constructing SEGs; and selecting appropriate instrumentation for monitoring, providing appropriate choice of exposure limits, and describing criteria by which exposure management decisions should be made. The article is intended to be a practical guide for industrial hygienists for managing engineered nanomaterial risks in their workplaces.
Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA. ramac002@umn.edu
Gurumurthy
G
Ramachandran
Michele
M
Ostraat
Douglas E
DE
Evans
Mark M
MM
Methner
Patrick
P
O'Shaughnessy
James
J
D'Arcy
Charles L
CL
Geraci
Edward
E
Stevenson
Andrew
A
Maynard
Keith
K
Rickabaugh
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D016272:Occupational Health; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017751:Safety Management; D013997:Time Factors; D017132:Workplace
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational