2006 National Response Team Worker Safety and Health Technical Conference

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Nanotechnology Initiative

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

Paul F. Wambach, CIHIndustrial Hygienist Office
of Epidemiology and Health Surveillance
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National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)

• The National Nanotechnology Initiative first
  funded National Science Foundation in FY-01 to
  coordinate Federal RD
• 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and
  Development Act, December 2003
• For FY 2006, estimated RD 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

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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/

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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

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ESH 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 m2 per gram
• New physical forms of common chemical elements
  change properties, e.g. proteins
• Do these properties lead to new and unique health
  risks ?

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Airborne Nanomaterials
Courtesy Andrew Maynard - NIOSH
PROCESS
Primary Particles
Aggregates Agglomerates
Droplets
Residue can have nanostructure And high surface
area Deposition throughout the respiratory tract
and gut
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
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ESH 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

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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.

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Integrated Safety Management
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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?

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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?

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Develop and Implement Hazard Controls

• Are facility, utility, and equipment codes and
  standards currently in use for materials
  sciencesufficient?
• 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?

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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

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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

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Exposure Bands
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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)

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Pharmaceutical Industry Specific Method

• Potency (mg/day) 8-Hr TWA (mg/m3)
• gt100 gt1
• 10-100 0.1-1
• 1-10 0.01-0.1
• 0.1-1 0.001-0.01
• lt0.01 lt0.001
• Unknown 0.01-0.1

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Pharmaceutical Industry Specific Method

• Uses a more sophisticated health hazard rating
  method.
• MSDSs with R phrases arent available
• Toxicity data generated during the research and
  development process
• Doesnt include qualitative exposure assessment
• Relatively small number of typical operations

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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

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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.