Biosafety, Occupational Health and Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology promises to improve the quality of human life, but it has also provoked concerns about potential adverse health effects on workers, the environment and consumers. Effective risk assessment and risk management of nanotechnology requires: 1) knowing how engineered nanoscale particles (NPs) can gain entry into the human body (routes of exposure); 2) knowing whether engineered NPs can migrate from their point of entry to other locations in the body (translocation); 3) determining what adverse biological effects may occur in response to engineered NP exposure (toxicity); 4) knowing which measurement of exposure and dose correlates best to toxicity (exposure and dose metrics); and 5) knowing how best to monitor exposed populations to detect the occurrence of any adverse health effects (health surveillance). This article reviews what is currently known about potential health risks to workers from exposure to engineered NPs, as well as the best methods to control those risks, in order to ensure that their use in the laboratory and industry conforms to the best principles of occupational health and biosafety.