title: Exposure limit values for nanomaterials--capacity and willingness of users to apply a precautionary approach.
abstract: In the European Union, the legal obligation for employers to provide a safe workplace for processing manufactured nanomaterials is a challenge when there is a lack of hazard information. The attitude of key stakeholders in industry, trade unions, branch and employers' organizations, and government policy advisors toward nano reference values (NRVs) has been investigated in a pilot study that was initiated by a coalition of Dutch employers' organizations and Dutch trade unions. NRVs are developed as provisional substitutes for health-based occupational exposure limits or derived no-effect levels and are based on a precautionary approach. NRVs have been introduced as a voluntary risk management instrument for airborne nanomaterials at the workplace. A measurement strategy to deal with simultaneously emitting process-generated nanoparticles was developed, allowing employers to use the NRVs for risk assessment. The motivational posture of most companies involved in the pilot study appears to be pro-active regarding worker protection and acquiescent to NRVs. An important driver to use NRVs seems to be a temporary certainty employers experience with regard to their legal obligation to take preventive action. Many interviewees welcome the voluntary character of NRVs, though trade unions and a few companies advocate a more binding status.
authors.affiliation: IVAM UvA BV, Amsterdam, Netherlands. pvbroekhuizen@ivam.uva.nl
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van Broekhuizen
authors.forename: Bärbel
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dorbeck-Jung
mesh_terms: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis* / Q000592:standards*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000592:standards*; D005062:European Union; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000032:analysis* / Q000592:standards; D009426:Netherlands; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000592:standards; D010316:Particle Size; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012308:Risk Management; D020711:Threshold Limit Values
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational