The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is recommending that occupational exposures to carbon nanotubes and nanofibers be controlled to reduce worker’s potential risk for certain work-related lung effects. NIOSH is the first federal agency to issue recommended exposure levels for this growing industry.

“Working Safely with Nanomaterials” is a new four-page PDF fact sheet published by OSHA. According to the fact sheet: “Workers who use nanotechnology in research or production processes may be exposed to nanomaterials through inhalation, skin contact, or ingestion.

REACH, the European chemical regulation has been under implementation since June 2007. Five years later, the ETUI chemical hazards expert Tony Musu takes stock of this ambitious reform.

A nanomaterial review meant to quell concerns raised by European legislators fails to propose a strategy for protecting nanotechnology workers, says the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI).

China should carry out more-extensive safety studies and improve regulatory oversight of synthetic nanomaterials, leading Chinese researchers said at the 6th International Conference on Nanotoxicology in Beijing this month.

While many people are still trying to wrap their heads around the idea of nanoparticles – subatomic particles that may behave differently than larger particles of the same composition – the field of nanotechnology has moved ahead to include advanced nanomaterials, which could expose the workers who handle them to serious health risks.

A report from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) warns of a lack of awareness about occupational exposure to nanomaterials.

Do nanomaterials pose health or safety risks to workers employed in their manufacture and industrial use? Dr. John Howard, director of the National Institute of Occupational Health Research, recently issued an update on research intended to answer that question.

New research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) raises awareness of the occupational safety and health practices necessary during the synthesis, characterization and experimentation using engineered nanomaterials in a laboratory setting.

The EPA is ill-equipped to manage the human health and environmental risks of nanomaterials, according to an analysis by the EPA's Office of Inspector General (OIG).