NIOSH Issues Recommendations for Nanomaterials

NIOSH has issued recommendations for employers who manufacture or use carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs), two types of nanomaterials made of sheets of pure carbon. CNTs and CNFs are used in products to increase strength, durability and heat resistance, among other properties. NIOSH reports that demand for these nanomaterials is expected to grow over the next decade and worker exposure to the particles must be controlled to reduce a potential risk of work-related lung effects.

NIOSH recommendations are expected to help establish risk management practices for controlling exposure to these particles. The agency recommends that employers should:

• Reduce worker exposures to airborne concentrations to no more than 1 microgram per cubic meter of air as a recommended exposure limit.
• Apply strategic approaches for controlling occupational exposures, giving priority to engineering controls that enclose processes where CNTs or CNFs could be released into the air.
• Train workers on the safe handling of bulk quantities of the particles, and proper use of engineering controls, administrative controls and safe work practices.
• Establish health surveillance and medical screening programs to identify early signs of respiratory disease.

Read the complete report found in "Current Intelligence Bulletin 65: Occupational Exposure to Carbon Nanotubes & Nanofibers."