The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC). In a recent NIOSH Science log item titled “NIOSH Risk Assessment of Engineered Nanomaterials,” NIOSH highlights the activities of the NTRC in assessing the risks associated with engineered nanomaterials. The NTRC has played a key role in developing NIOSH recommended exposure limits (REL) for titanium dioxide, carbon nanotubes and nanofibers, and silver. However, obtaining reliable data, especially chronic exposure data, for engineered nanomaterials has been a challenge. Dose estimation is particularly important for nanomaterials, as particle size can impact biological processes and internal dose.
To address the lack of data for some nanomaterials, NTRC researchers have explored the option of using occupational exposure banding to provide provisional guidance for risk management. They have derived occupational exposure bands for several engineered nanomaterials by evaluating available approaches.
Moving forward, NTRC is involved in a multi-center program in the European Union to develop the NanoInformaTIX database and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) NaKnowBase database. Additionally, NTRC researchers are working on developing a literature-based dataset as part of their evaluation of approaches to nanomaterials risk assessment.