(217e) Nanotechnology – What's So Big about the Small Stuff?

Nanotechnology ? What's So Big about the Small Stuff?

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Nanotechnology is ?the Next Big Thing.? It is a truly international
phenomenon that ?will have a major impact on the health, wealth and security of
the world's people that will be at least as significant in this century as
antibiotics, the integrated circuit, and manmade polymers.? [1]

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The market for nanotechnology-based products is expected to reach $2.5
trillion by 2015, up from $147 billion in 2007.[2]

Nanotechnology
presents the promise of a diverse array of manufactured goods and products that
incorporate improved and innovative properties. Studies have determined that, due to their unique properties, nanomaterials (NM) have unpredictable
properties in biological systems and that the health implications from NM
exposures are not yet known.  Although numerous products
incorporating nanotechnology are here today, specific regulatory drivers for NM are still emerging.  Companies producing or using NM must address
the potential hazards of NM in the workplace to comply with existing workplace standards under the Occupational Health
and Safety Act.  For example, the General
Duty Clause requires that employers provide each employee a place of employment
that is free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause
death or serious physical harm and the Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR
1900.1200) provides workers with the right to know the hazards that they are
exposed to in the workplace.  Uncertainty
about adverse health effects from exposures to NM and which work practices to
adopt today should not impede efforts by companies to develop worker safety
programs that minimize potential health effects.  Such an approach can reduce the likelihood of
worker exposures to NM and the financial costs of subsequent liability claims
and litigation.

This presentation will provide an overview of
nanotechnology basics, an inventory of potentially applicable regulations and
guidelines and the benefits of a proactive approach.