A growing number of industries are discovering the benefits of nanomaterials, microscopic-sized engineered substances that are being used in everything from creating super-strength adhesives to making ultra-light spacecraft light that can easily escape the Earth’s orbit. But now a government regulatory body says it is alarmed by this materials trend and has issued recommendations for ways companies can control potential dangers of using these nanoscale materials.
The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently issued recommendations for creating engineering controls on nanomaterials to ensure workers are safe from exposure and to control the way these substances are introduced into the environment during the manufacturing process.
Nanomaterials are becoming increasingly common and are spawning entirely new industries. Nanotechnology is when matter is manipulated on a near atomic level to produce new structures, materials and devices. It is being used in medicine, energy, and in such consumer products as food wrap and smart phones.
Clothes That Can Power Your iPod?
In fact, one nanomatieral — known as Power Felt — is being developed into a fabric that, when made into clothing, could capture the heat created by your body and convert it into enough electricity to power your smart phone or other devices. Another nanomaterial currently being engineered is a type of paint that can detect microscopic faults in bridges, mines and foundations of wind turbines and warn about imminent dangers before failure can occur.
Existing nanomaterial technology is being used to reinforce adhesives so that they are stronger than any previous bonding agent or glue. Another use is reinforcing traditional polymers with nanoparticles so that they form new lightweight materials that can replace metals in everything from bulletproof vests to spacecraft.
Other uses for nanomaterials include engineered DNA in programmable glue that helps devices assemble themselves. They also are used to create nanoscale layered structures formed one atom at a time using three-dimensional printers.
Government Agencies Take Cautious Approach
Yet officials at NIOSH and the Centers for Disease Control say they want to make sure engineers understand the long-term effects of using these new materials before they are rushed into production to create cool new products.
“As with any new technology, the earliest and most extensive exposure to hazards is most likely to occur in the workplace,” the CDC wrote in a recent white paper entitled “Nanotechnology”. “Workers within nanotechnology-related industries have the potential to be exposed to uniquely engineered materials with novel sizes, shapes, and physical and chemical properties. Occupational health risks associated with manufacturing and using nanomaterials are not yet clearly understood. Minimal information is currently available on dominant exposure routes, potential exposure levels, and material toxicity of nanomaterials.”
NIOSH has identied 10 specific areas of interest regarding nanotechnology that it wants to learn more about before giving approval to the widespread use of these 21st Century materials, including such things as exposure assessment, fire and explosion safety, epidemiology, and toxicity.
The agency’s recommendations follow earlier statements of concerns about nanomaterials by the US Environmental Protection Agency, as well as European and Japanese regulatory bodies.
While the proliferation of nanomaterials is certain to grow in the coming decades, government agencies currently are laying the groundwork to control, monitor and regulate their use so that the public’s and environment’s safety can be protected.