Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA.
Wiley Interdiscip Rev Nanomed Nanobiotechnol. 2010 Nov-Dec;2(6):685-92. doi: 10.1002/wnan.101.
The growth in nanotechnology has prompted a focus on the development of occupational health and safety recommendations for those working with engineered nanomaterials (ENM) at both the laboratory and the manufacturing levels. Although the nascent field of nanotoxicology has shown that some nanoparticles may present a health hazard to humans, risk assessments for all types of ENM are not possible. Hence, a precautionary approach to handling of these materials is recommended along with the development of a comprehensive health and safety program for the workplace. The traditional hierarchy of exposure controls emphasizes reducing the hazard as close to the source as possible by using elimination or substitution. Alternative control methods include engineering controls, administrative or work practice controls, and finally personal protective equipment, in order of decreasing priority. There is now ample evidence that some degree of exposure control can be achieved with each of these control methods, so that a comprehensive program will incorporate each, depending on the circumstances of the engineered nanomaterial use.
纳米技术的发展促使人们关注制定针对在实验室和制造层面接触工程纳米材料（ENM）的职业健康和安全建议。尽管新兴的纳米毒理学领域表明，某些纳米颗粒可能对人类健康构成危害，但对所有类型的 ENM 进行风险评估是不可能的。因此，建议在处理这些材料时采取预防措施，并为工作场所制定全面的健康和安全计划。传统的暴露控制层级强调通过消除或替代，尽可能在靠近源头的地方减少危害。替代控制方法包括工程控制、行政或工作实践控制，最后是个人防护设备，按优先级降序排列。现在有充分的证据表明，这些控制方法中的每一种都可以在某种程度上实现暴露控制，因此，根据工程纳米材料使用的情况，综合计划将包含每一种控制方法。
