US CDC Publishes Safety Nanotechnology Guidance

Citing concern over the occupational risks that potentially exist in nanotechnology, the US CDC has issued a safety guidance manual for the nanotechnology.


"Research has shown that materials on this small scale begin to exhibit physical, chemical, and biological behaviors that are quite unique. These unique properties raise concerns about the health impacts of nanotechnology, particularly among workers employed in nanotechnology-related industries."

References

U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative. Nano.gov: size of the nanoscale [http://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/nano-size].

U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative. Nano.gov: Nanotechnology and you, benefits and applications. [http://www.nano.gov/you/nanotechnology-benefits]. 

NIOSH [2010]. Nanotechnology Overview[ http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/]. 

International Organization for Standardization [2008]. ISO Standard 12885:2008 Nanotechnologies-Health and safety practices in occupational settings relevant to nanotechnologies.

Dahm MM, Yencken MS, Schubauer-Berigan, MK [in press]. Exposure control strategies in the carbonaceous nanomaterial industry. Journal of Occupational and Environmental 53(6S).

Roco M, Mirkin C, Hersam M [2010]. Nanotechnology research directions for societal needs in 2020: retrospective and outlook. Boston and Berlin: Springer. [http://wtec.org/nano2/].

NIOSH [2009]. Approaches to safe nanotechnology: managing the health and safety concerns associated with engineered nanomaterials. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication Number 2009-125. [http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2009-125/].

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Workers Compensation and Nanotechnology - The New Frontier

NIOSH research has revealed that breathing nanoparticles may result in damaging health effects.

"Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize countless products, create computers smaller and faster than once could be imagined, and fight diseases such as cancer. According to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnology, by the summer of 2009 there were 1,015 consumer products using nanotechnology. That represents nearly a 19-fold increase over the 54 products listed in 2005. Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of matter at a near-atomic scale. Nanoparticles measure from 1 to 100 nanometers in size, with 1 billion nanometers forming a meter. For comparison, a billion inches would nearly circle the Earth 2 times."

• A 2004 survey estimatedthat nearly 25,000 U.S. workers were employed at businesses that exclusively produced nanotechnology products.
• Nanoparticles can enter the body through many routes including inhalation, swallowing, ingestion, and absorption through the skin.
• Nanotechnology may present health risks but it can also be used to protect workers. New respirator designs, for instance, use nanotechnology to create more effective filters to block harmful substances.

Authors of Inhalation Versus Aspiration of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in C57BL/6 Mice: Inflammation, Fibrosis, Oxidative Stress, and Mutagenesis—Anna Shvedova, Elena Kisin, Ashley Murray, Victor Johnson, Olga Gorelik, Sivaram Arepalli, Ann Hubbs, Robert Mercer, Phouthone Keohavong, Nancy Sussman, J. Jin, J. Yin, Samuel Stone, The-hsun Chen, Gregory Deye, Andrew Maynard, Vince Castranova, Paul Baron, and Valerian Kagan; Health Effects Laboratory Division; NIOSH—received the 2009 Alice Hamilton Award in the Biological Sciences category.

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For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered work related accident and injuries.

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NIOSH Reports on the Safety of Nanotechnology

The emerging area of nanotechnology has brought with it concerns over worker safety. NIOSH has now released a progress report concerning this technology. NIOSH's goals are:

1. Determine whether nanoparticles and nanomaterials pose risks of work-related injuries and illnesses.
2. Conduct research to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses by ap- plying nanotechnology products.
3. Promote healthy workplaces through interventions, recommendations, and capacity building.
4. Enhance global workplace safety and health through national and international collaborations on nanotechnology research and guidance.

"To date, NIOSH/OEP has committed about $5.3 million dollars to research on applications and implications of nanotechnology. Summaries of the projects funded by NIOSH/OEP are included in Appendix B. NIOSH/OEP plans to continue collaborative efforts with EPA/NCER, NSF, NIH/NIEHS, and other international agencies to support nanotechnology research with occupational safety and health implications. OEP will continue to confer with the NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Center regarding issues, gaps, and future directions.

To read more about nanotechnology click here.

The threshold length for fibre-induced acute pleural inflammation: shedding light on the early events in asbestos-induced mesothelioma

Recent research implicates nanoparticles or nanofibres as a potential health hazard:

"Suspicion has been raised that high aspect ratio nanoparticles or nanofibres might possess asbestos-like pathogenicity. The pleural space is a specific target for disease in individuals exposed to asbestos and, by implication nanofibres. Pleural effects of fibres depends on fibre length, but the key threshold length beyond which adverse effects occur has never been identified up to now since all asbestos and vitreous fibre samples are heterogeneously distributed in their length. Nanotechnology advantageously allows for highly defined length distribution of synthetically engineered fibres which enable for in depth investigation of this threshold length. We utilised the ability to prepare silver-nanofibres of five defined length classes to demonstrate a threshold fibre length for acute pleural inflammation. Nickel-nanofibres and carbon nanotubes were then used to strengthen the relationship between fibre length and pleural inflammation. A method of intrapleural injection of nanofibres in female C57Bl/6 strain mice was used to deliver the fibre dose and we then assessed the acute pleural inflammatory response. Chestwall sections were examined by light and by scanning electron microscopy to identify areas of lesion; furthermore cell-nanowires interaction on the mesothelial surface of the parietal pleura in vivo, were investigated. Our results showed a clear threshold effect demonstrating that fibres beyond 4 µm in length are pathogenic to the pleura. The identification of the threshold length for nanofibre induced pathogenicity in the pleura has important implications for understanding the structure-toxicity relationship for asbestos-induced mesothelioma and consequent risk assessment with the aim to contribute to the engineering of synthetic nanofibres by the adoption of a benign-by-design approach."

Toxicol. Sci. (2012)doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfs171First published online: May 12, 2012

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For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.

Read more about nanotechnology

US CDC Publishes Safety Nanotechnology Guidance

Sep 20, 2011

U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative. Nano.gov: size of the nanoscale [http://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/nano-size External Web Site Icon ]. U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative. Nano.gov: Nanotechnology and ...

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NIOSH Schedules Conference on Safety of Nanoparticles

Aug 25, 2009

... following the publication of the September issue of the “European Respiratory Journal, the first medical case series of workers with serious disease that the study authors associate with exposure to nano-sized particles has ...

http://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/

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Nanomaterial Requires More Regulation by the EPA Inspector General Reports

EPA Report Recommends More Regulation

A recent report by the Inspector General of the US Environmental Protection Agency found that EPA does not currently have sufficient information or processes to  effectively manage the human health and environmental risks of nanomaterials. EPA has the statutory authority to regulate nanomaterials but currently lacks the environmental and human health exposure and toxicological data to do so effectively. The Agency proposed a policy under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to identify new pesticides being registered with nanoscale materials. After minimal industry participation in a voluntary data collection program, the Agency has proposed mandatory reporting rules for nanomaterials under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, and is also developing proposed rules under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Nanomaterials are currently being used in many applications including: consumer products, health care, transportation, energy, and agriculture.

Read the EPA Report:  EPA Needs to Manage Nanomaterial Risks More Effectively

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For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.

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Carbon Nanotubes Exposure Linked to Lung Tumor Formation in Mice

"Earlier today, at the annual meeting of the Society of Toxicology, NIOSH researchers reported preliminary findings from a new laboratory study in which mice were exposed by inhalation to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT).  The study was designed to investigate whether these tiny particles have potential to initiate or promote cancer.  

By “initiate,” we mean the ability of a substance to cause mutations in DNA that can lead to tumors.  By “promote,” we mean the ability of a substance to cause cells that have already sustained such DNA mutations to then become tumors. "

See the NIOSH Science Blog

NIOSH Proposes New Digital Classification for Pneumoconiosis

Monitoring the health of individuals involved in dusty work is intended to provide assurance to the worker that ongoing exposure controls are adequate. Recognition of minor health abnormalities serves as an early warning to both workers and managers when there is need for more effective measures to prevent work-related impairment and disability. Since 1970, NIOSH and other organizations have successfully applied traditional film screen chest radiography, interpreted using the ILO International Classification of Radiographs of Pneumoconiosis, toward these objectives. 

Imaging of interstitial lung diseases such as the pneumoconiosis represents one of the most difficult challenges in diagnostic radiology, and comprehensive attention to technological, methodological, and human factors is required to assure that the image quality and interpretation are satisfactory for achieving early disease detection. 

This NIOSH Guideline is based upon accepted contemporary professional recommendations, and provides technical and operational guidance for radiographic facilities and physician readers who obtain digital chest radiographs for the evaluation of pneumoconiosis. The intent is to assure that the recognition of pneumoconiosis using digitally-acquired chest radiographs is at least as safe and effective as traditional film screen radiography. The Guideline should not be considered a mandate for medical practice; however participating practitioners and facilities who deviate from the specifications should have a sound medical rationale for alternative approaches.

The ILO system has been used extensively in the diagnosis of asbestos related disease.

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NIOSH Schedules Conference on Safety of Nanoparticles

NIOSH announced a conference in July 2010 to discuss the safety concerns that have been raised concerning workers and nanotechnology.

“NIOSH research has shown that some nanoparticles, including certain types of carbon nanotubes and metal oxides, can be toxic to the heart and lung in mice and rats in laboratory experiments. Other research has demonstrated various other adverse effects of nanoparticles. Through its Approaches to Safe Nanotechnology, NIOSH recommends that specific precautions be taken to protect workers who might be exposed to any level of nanoparticles or nanoparticle-containing materials. A big question left unanswered is, can nanoparticles cause the same types of disease in humans?”

Concern intensified on this issue following the publication of the September issue of the “European Respiratory Journal, the first medical case series of workers with serious disease that the study authors associate with exposure to nano-sized particles has been published.”

NIOSH Focuses On Safety of Nanotechnology

On Wednesday, April 8, 2009 [74 FR 15985], the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announced in the Federal Register plans to evaluate the scientific data on carbon nanotubes and to issue its findings on the potential health risks. A draft Current Intelligence Bulletin entitled ``Occupational Exposure to Carbon Nanotubes and Nanofibers'' has been developed which contains an assessment of the toxicological data and provides recommendations for the safe handling of these materials. NIOSH is seeking comments on the draft document and plans to have a public meeting to discuss the document. The draft document and instructions for submitting comments can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docket/review/docket161A/ default.html.

NIOSH has interest in:

(1) Identification of industries or occupations in which exposures to carbon nanotubes and nanofibers can occur; 

(2) Trends in the production and use of carbon nanotubes and nanofibers; 

(3) Exposure measurement data; 

(4) Case reports or other health information demonstrating possible health effects in workers exposed to carbon nanotubes or nanofibers; 

(5) Reports of experimental in vivo and in vitro studies that provide evidence of a dose-relationship between exposure to carbon nanotubes and nanofibers and biological activity; 

(6) Reports of experimental data on the airborne characteristics of carbon nanotubes or nanofibers, including information on the amounts that are inhalable and respirable; 

(7) Criteria and rationale for including workers in a medical surveillance and screening program; 

(8) Description of work practices and engineering controls used to reduce or prevent workplace exposure to carbon nanotubes and nanofibers; and 

(9) Educational materials for worker safety and training on the safe handling of carbon nanotubes and nanofibers.

This announcement follows an earlier conference by NIOSH in July 2010.

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ND workers' comp agency sues over computer project

Yet another reason for a universal integratable workers' compensation docketing program. Today's post is share from http://www.sacbee.com/. BISMARCK, N.D. -- North Dakota's workers' compensation agency has sued a Chicago company over a failed $17 million computer system overhaul. The Workforce Safety and Insurance agency filed its lawsuit last month in state court against Aon eSolutions Inc. to recoup costs associated with the system that was never delivered. WSI hired Aon eSolutions in 2007 for a software system upgrade. The work was to cost $14 million, but it was plagued by delays and cost overruns and was never finished. The contract with the company expired in 2012, and WSI did not renew it. The state Legislature last year gave WSI $750,000 for potential litigation. WSI, which provides coverage for businesses when employees are hurt or killed on the job, alleges, among other things, negligence, fraud and deceit against the company in court papers. The agency has requested a jury trial. "Aon promised to deliver a state-of-the-art integrated software package that would replace WSI's existing software system and meet all of the agency's business needs," said WSI Director Bryan Klipfel said in a statement. "WSI intends to prove that Aon did not follow through on its promise. We are acting in the best interest of our stakeholders as we try to recover the money that was spent on this desired product." Aon said in a statement that it is "disappointed that WSI chose this course. We delivered substantial value to WSI and we did nothing wrong. We look forward to telling our side of...

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Nanomaterials: NIOSH Publishes Safe Practices Guide

NIOSH (The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) has published safety recommendations on engineering controls and safe practices for handling engineered nanomaterials in laboratories and some pilot scale operations. This guidance was designed to be used in tandem with well-established practices and the laboratory’s chemical hygiene plan. The introduction of nanoparticles into the workplace has created a new dimension in workers' compensation occupational exposure claims.

"Nanotechnology, the manipulation of matter at a nanometer scale to produce new materials, structures, and devices having new properties, may revolutionize life in the future. It has the potential to impact medicine through improved disease diagnosis and treatment technologies and to impact manufacturing by creating smaller, lighter, stronger, and more efficient products. Nanotechnology could potentially decrease the impact of pollution by improving methods for water purification or energy conservation. Although engineered nanomaterials present seemingly limitless possibilities, they bring with them new challenges for identifying and controlling potential safety and health risks to workers. Of particular concern is the growing body of evidence that occupational exposure to some engineered nanomaterials can cause adverse health effects.

"As with any new technology or new material, the earliest exposures will likely occur for those workers conducting discovery research in laboratories or developing production processes in pilot plants. The research community is at the front line of creating new nanomaterials, testing their usefulness in a variety of applications and determining their toxicological and environmental impacts. Researchers handling engineered nanomaterials in laboratories should perform that work in a manner that protects their safety and health. This guidance document provides the best information currently available on engineering controls and safe work practices to be followed when working with engineered nanomaterials in research laboratories.

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For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered work related accident and injuries.

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Perspectives in Biological Monitoring of Inhaled Nanosized Particles

Given the results of experimental studies, occupational or environmental exposures to manufactured nanoparticles or to unintentionally produced ultrafine particles may result in health effects or diseases in humans. 

In this review, the authors synthesize published data of experimental studies on the distribution of inhaled nanoparticles and the first case reports to discuss the potential usefulness of their biological monitoring for clinical purposes. 

Toxicokinetic studies suggest that nanoparticles may be absorbed predominantly by respiratory and oral routes with possible systemic translocation, leading to accumulation in the peripheral organs or excretion in feces or urine. 

Some methods used in these studies may be applied successfully in retrospective evaluation of exposure or in follow-up of occupational exposure in the workplace. Biological monitoring of nanoparticles should be based on imaging methods that are essential to confirm their presence and to characterize them in tissue associated with analytical quantitative methods. 

The first case reports reviewed emphasize the urgent need for the development of standardized procedures for the preparation and analysis of biological samples with a view to characterizing and quantifying nanoparticles.

Ann Occup Hyg (2015) 59 (6):669-680.doi: 10.1093/annhyg/mev015First published online: March 20, 2015

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Deadly Delay: The Chemical Industry's Game Play

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is in desperate need of reform. Its weaknesses have allowed chemical companies to exploit the act by thwarting the EPA's attempts to finalize health assessments and delaying regulation of chemicals -- sometimes for decades. The chemical industry's roadblocks often follow predictable patterns:

• Attack early drafts of health assessments
• Force new reviews
• Hold workshops populated with industry-funded panelists
• Introduce new industry-funded studies when assessments are close to final
• Force more reviews
• Enlist elected officials to assist with political interference
• Attack new assessment drafts

Using these tactics, the chemical industry has effectively prevented the EPA from achieving its mission to protect human health.

This report details how the U.S. legal system and TSCA itself have helped the chemical industry to be effective in its efforts to delay regulations. Congress needs to reform TSCA to make it a more effective regulatory tool. The chemical industry should not be able to endlessly postpone regulatory decisions while profiting from unregulated chemical sales until all scientific controversies and uncertainties, large and small, have been eliminated. With good public policy, the EPA should be empowered to make the best decisions it can on a timely basis using existing information, and apply new science to update its evaluations as it becomes available.

Full Report: The Chemical Industry Delay Game : How the Chemical Industry Ducks Regulation of the Most Toxic Substances. By Jennifer Sass. October 2011

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FDA Closes Down Illegal On-Line Pharmacies

Operation Pangea VI combats online sale and distribution of unapproved prescription medicines 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in partnership with international regulatory and law enforcement agencies, took action this week against more than 9,600 websites that illegally sell potentially dangerous, unapproved prescription medicines to consumers. These actions include the issuance of regulatory warnings, and seizure of offending websites and $41,104,386 worth of illegal medicines worldwide.

The action occurred as part of the 6th annual International Internet Week of Action (IIWA), a global cooperative effort to combat the online sale and distribution of potentially counterfeit and illegal medical products. As part of this year’s international effort – Operation Pangea VI – the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, in coordination with the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado, seized and shut down 1,677 illegal pharmacy websites. The effort ran from June 18 to June 25, 2013.

Many of these websites appeared to be operating as a part of an organized criminal network

that falsely purported its websites to be “Canadian Pharmacies.” These websites displayed fake licenses and certifications to convince U.S. consumers to purchase drugs they advertised as “brand name” and “FDA approved.” The drugs received as part of Operation Pangea were not from Canada, and were neither brand name nor FDA approved. These websites also used certain major U.S. pharmacy retailer names to trick U.S. consumers into believing an affiliation existed with these retailers.

US Announces Effort to Prevent Emergency Responders From Occupational Illness

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and partners in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced revised and updated resources to help prevent exposures of emergency response employees to potentially life-threatening infectious diseases in the line of duty.

The resources include:

• A list of potentially life-threatening infectious diseases, including emerging infectious diseases, and specifying those diseases routinely transmitted through airborne or aerosolized means.
• Guidelines describing the circumstances in which emergency response employees may be exposed to such diseases while attending to or transporting victims of emergencies.
• Guidelines for medical facilities making determinations whether such exposures have occurred.

The action was taken as a result of provisions in the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009. In the reauthorization, Congress directed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to update resources originally compiled under the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act, enacted in 1990.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services delegated the task to CDC. NIOSH and CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP) worked together to develop the required list and guidelines, incorporating input from stakeholders that was received via a public comment process. NIOSH was created under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and is a part of CDC.

The updated list of potentially life-threatening infectious diseases which emergency response employees occupationally may be exposed include all that were in an earlier list under the 1990 Ryan White Act:

• Diphtheria
• Hepatitis B
• HIV, including AIDS
• Tuberculosis
• Viral hemorrhagic fevers
• Meningococcal disease
• Plague, pneumonic
• Rabies

New additions include:

• Anthrax, cutaneous
• Novel influenza A and other influenza strains with pandemic severity index greater than or equal to 3.
• Hepatitis C
• Measles
• Mumps
• Pertussis
• Rubella
• Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV)
• Smallpox
• Vaccinia
• Varicella disease
• Select agents

The notice of the action and further details can be found at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-11-02/html/2011-28234.htm

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What Does Cancer Smell Like?

Nanotechnology is giving rise to concern for the safety of workers. The lack of regulation, statutes, Iand safety precautions result in deciduous and latent exposures. Today's post was shared by The New York Times and comes from www.nytimes.com

On a lab bench in Philadelphia sits a tiny box lined with nearly invisible nanotubes and gold. A clear plastic pipe runs through it, and a thicket of pins, each sprouting a red or blue wire, protrudes from its end. As air from the pipe wafts over the nanotubes, electrical signals surge out of the box along the wire threads. The whole apparatus is situated near a vial of blood, “sniffing” the air above it through the pipe. The box, an electronic nose, is a key part of a theory being explored by George Preti, an organic chemist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, and an interdisciplinary team that includes physicists and veterinarians at the University of Pennsylvania. Preti is an expert on human odors, having studied them for more than 40 years. He has sniffed — both with machines and with his nose — breath, sweat and other secretions in search of answers about why we smell the way we do. This latest project seeks to answer a question others might have never thought to ask: Does ovarian cancer have a smell? In modern cancer medicine, doctors tend to rely on advanced imaging techniques and the detection of lumps. The widely acknowledged problem with these methods, though, is that by the time doctors have reason to order a scan or feel something, it’s often too late. Ovarian cancer has usually spread to other organs by the time it’s detected. If it is caught early — which happens only 15 percent of the time, often by accident when...

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