NANOTECHNOLOGY – MATERIALS IN THE WORKPLACE

1. NANOTECHNOLOGY – MATERIALS IN THE WORKPLACE Kai Savolainen 8th EU-US Joint Conference on Health and Safety at Work, Fort Worth, Texas 17-19 September 2015

2. ESTABLISHING STANDARDIZED OSH PRINCIPLES FOR DEVELOPING BEST PRACTICES APPLIED TO NANOTECHNOLOGY WORK SETTINGS • Nanotechnology has the potential for great social, technological and economic benefits • Some nanomaterials and products may though cause adverse health effects on humans • Workers are then especially at risk due to higher exposure levels, but also consumers may be exposed, and there may be environmental burden due to release of engineered nanomaterials (ENM) into the environment

3. ESTABLISHING STANDARDIZED OSH PRINCIPLES FOR DEVELOPING BEST PRACTICES APPLIED TO NANOTECHNOLOGY WORK SETTINGS • One carbon nanotube (CNT), notably Mitsui-7 multi-walled CNT, has been classified as a potential human carcinogen by IARC • There are NIOSH-proposed REL’s for TiO2 and CNT and carbon nanofibers (CNF), and Dutch Provisional Nano-Reference values in the EU which some EU countries also have supported

4. SCOPE • To establish a set of high-level common principles based on the current best science that can be applied across the globe for developing best practices (guidance) for the safe use of ENM at work • The practical actions may include: • international actions to assess environmental and occupational release of ENM considering their whole life-cycle; • international design of ENM hazard classification and risk management measures; • establishing OEL’s for ENM; • obtaining more information on environmental, safety and health of ENM through targeted research

5. SUB-TOPICS AND KEY QUESTIONS • Need for Improvement of legislative US and EU frameworks • Gaps related to ENM related hazards, and classification and labelling, REACH, national initiatives relating to traceability, risk communication, MSDS, issues related the current US legislation, especially TOSCA • What is the current state of the art regarding these knowledge gaps/requirements for improvement on national level and the US-EU – level.

6. SUB-TOPICS AND KEY QUESTIONS • Criteria to establish work-place hazards and risks • These include types of ENM related hazards (CMRS, oxidative stress, overload, interference of ENM with the background levels, and the development of OEL’s, REL’s and/or Provisional Nano-Reference limit values for ENM • Lack of nano-specific bio-indicators for biological monitoring may have an impact on ENM risk assessment; a salvage pathway may be maintaining the exposure levels of exposure below a level which is not likely to cause health harm (Nano-Reference Value approach)

7. SUB-TOPICS AND KEY QUESTIONS • Establish principles for measurements and monitoring • These include definition of measurements and pieces of characterization equipment, methods and standards. • Principles can be defined for measurement and monitoring; what are the minimum requirements for risk assessment? Is a full health-based assessment needed? • Currently, no nano-specific health indicators available; current ones can be used? and new ones are being developed e.g. in the EU FP7 funded SCAFFOLD Project for the construction workers

8. SUB-TOPICS AND KEY QUESTIONS • Establish principles of control • These include administrative and engineering control, risk assessment and evaluation, workers’ registration, periodic health surveillance, early warning signs (which?) • Are the traditional control measures sufficient for ENM at the workplace? Traditional control measures may be helpful but some additional control measures may have added value

9. SUB-TOPICS AND KEY QUESTIONS • Foundation for risk management practices • Precautionary principle, ALARA, Control banding, Provisional Nano-Reference values • What means precaution and prevention in relation to ENM? • Where most remarkable knowledge gaps on the association of the levels of exposure to ENM and the occurrence of subsequent health hazards exist, limitation of the levels of exposure to ENM e.g. through their reduced production in some (exceptional) cases

10. SUB-TOPICS AND KEY QUESTIONS • Principles for developing a positive S&H culture for ENM/nanotechnology in which are involved in decision-making • Actions may include training, capacity building, ethical issues, workers participation, work council, safety representative participation • Urgent need to increase awareness of employers and workers of potential hazards and risks of ENM to increase safety in the ENM handing, production and use • Promotion of safe(r) – by design principle in designing ENM • Realizing mutual consensus on precautionary control policy amongst social partners and governmental institutions; an important means promotion of stakeholder dialogue between stakeholders to increase mutual understanding

11. POTENTIAL OUTCOME • Develop white paper which clearly establishes how future guidance and best practices for nanotechnology should be developed. • The paper should clearly articulate the basic high-level principles needed to establish occupational best practices for nanotechnology in any workplace setting.

12. Nanosafety Research Centrewww.ttl.fi/nanosafetycentrenanoinfo@ttl.fi