A strategy for assessing workplace exposures to nanomaterials

Gurumurthy Ramachandran; Michele Ostraat; Douglas E Evans; Mark M Methner; Patrick O'Shaughnessy; James D'Arcy; Charles L Geraci; Edward Stevenson; Andrew Maynard; Keith Rickabaugh

doi:10.1080/15459624.2011.623223

Back

A strategy for assessing workplace exposures to nanomaterials

Journal article

Peer reviewed

A strategy for assessing workplace exposures to nanomaterials

Gurumurthy Ramachandran, Michele Ostraat, Douglas E Evans, Mark M Methner, Patrick O'Shaughnessy, James D'Arcy, Charles L Geraci, Edward Stevenson, Andrew Maynard and Keith Rickabaugh

Journal of occupational and environmental hygiene, Vol.8(11), pp.673-685

11/2011

DOI: 10.1080/15459624.2011.623223

PMID: 22023547

View Online

Abstract

This article describes a highly tailorable exposure assessment strategy for nanomaterials that enables effective and efficient exposure management (i.e., a strategy that can identify jobs or tasks that have clearly unacceptable exposures), while simultaneously requiring only a modest level of resources to conduct. The strategy is based on strategy general framework from AIHA® that is adapted for nanomaterials and seeks to ensure that the risks to workers handling nanomaterials are being managed properly. The strategy relies on a general framework as the basic foundation while building and elaborating on elements essential to an effective and efficient strategy to arrive at decisions based on collecting and interpreting available information. This article provides useful guidance on conducting workplace characterization; understanding exposure potential to nanomaterials; accounting methods for background aerosols; constructing SEGs; and selecting appropriate instrumentation for monitoring, providing appropriate choice of exposure limits, and describing criteria by which exposure management decisions should be made. The article is intended to be a practical guide for industrial hygienists for managing engineered nanomaterial risks in their workplaces.

Environmental Monitoring - instrumentation

Risk Assessment

Occupational Health

Humans

Environmental Monitoring - methods

Safety Management

Workplace

Occupational Exposure - analysis

Time Factors

Occupational Exposure - prevention & control

Air Pollutants, Occupational - analysis

Nanostructures - adverse effects

Nanostructures - analysis

Details

Title: Subtitle: A strategy for assessing workplace exposures to nanomaterials
Creators: Gurumurthy Ramachandran - Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA. ramac002@umn.edu
Michele Ostraat
Douglas E Evans
Mark M Methner
Patrick O'Shaughnessy
James D'Arcy
Charles L Geraci
Edward Stevenson
Andrew Maynard
Keith Rickabaugh
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of occupational and environmental hygiene, Vol.8(11), pp.673-685
Publisher: England
DOI: 10.1080/15459624.2011.623223
PMID: 22023547
ISSN: 1545-9624
eISSN: 1545-9632
Language: English
Date published: 11/2011
Academic Unit: Civil and Environmental Engineering; Occupational and Environmental Health
Record Identifier: 9983997337702771

Metrics

19 Record Views

76 Times Cited - Web of Science

See more details