NIOSH is marking 20 years of nanomaterial workplace safety research with a look back at its respirator guidance and a roadmap for closing remaining gaps in worker protection.
A new testing method for portable field instruments is already in development, with plans underway to build a more reliable aerosol test that reflects real workplace nanomaterial exposures.
NIOSH Celebrates 20 Years of Nanotechnology Research with Engineering Controls and PPE Highlights
NIA Staff
1 min read
Summary
NIOSH reviews its major achievements in the area of nanomaterial exposure in the working environment in its 20th Anniversary. During this period, NIOSH has published science-based national guidance for respiratory and other Personal Protective Equipment PPE to protect against nanomaterial exposures. In past years NIOSH evaluated respirator performance against nanoparticles when worn by human test subjects in order to measure the simulated workplace protection factors for N95 and P100filtering facepiece respirators as a function of nanoparticle size (20-400 nm size range). In recent years NIOSH researchers developed a new method targeting the use of portable instruments during routine work and which are fit for the working environment. In the future NIOSH plans to develop a new reliable aerosol testing method that can accurately evaluate the respirator penetration against workplace nanomaterials, as well as the effectiveness of NIOSH-approvedrespirators to determine whether existing respirator guidelines apply to workers exposed to nanomaterials, and to compare nanomaterial penetrations determined by direct-reading and elemental carbon (EC) analysis methods.
