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Tiered Approach to Exposure Measurement and Assessment of Nanoscale Aerosols
Created by assoceditor on 12/10/2011 15:34:56

Leading institutions in Germany have published a strategy paper to address the challenges of exposure measurement and assessment of nanoscale aerosols released from engineered nanomaterials in the workplace.


Various leading German institutions – including the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) and the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) - established a working group to address and discuss the challenges of exposure measurement and assessment of nanoscale aerosols released from engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in the workplace.  The working group aimed at a harmonised approach towards such exposure measurement. The outcome was designed to be pragmatic and widely usable, rather than to form the basis for further scientific and research oriented studies. 

The result of the working group is a recently published strategy document entitled "A Tiered Approach to the Exposure Measurement and Assessment of Nanoscale Aerosols Released from Engineered Nanomaterials Workplace Operations" [pdf].  

The working group have concluded that, at the moment, a tiered approach to exposure assessment appears to be the most appropriate strategy, which can be widely used by small and medium size enterprises as well as large chemical companies with global business operations.

This approach is split into three tiers. In the first step (Tier 1) information is gathered according to established industrial hygiene practices. In the next tier (Tier 2) a basic exposure assessment using a limited set of easy-to-use equipment is conducted, where as in the highest tier 6 (Tier 3) the latest state-of-the art measurement technology is employed to assess the potential for workplace exposure to nanoscale aerosols released from ENMs if required.  

Existing legally binding occupational exposure limits (OELs), e.g. synthetic amorphous silica , carbon black [ACGIH], etc., have to be complied with. Where no such substance-specific, binding, health-based OEL values for ENMs exist, the tiered approach uses 3 criteria for the assessment of the data:
  1. Interference value exceeded for nanoscale aerosols released from ENMs.
  2. Significant increase over aerosol background level in the workplace air.
  3. Chemical identity of the nano-objects and their nanoscale aggregates and agglomerates detected in the aerosol.
The working group acknowledge that this step-by-step approach may need to be revisited as soon as new scientific findings are available (especially on binding, health-based occupational exposure limit values). However, they propose that the presented exposure assessment strategy of nanoscale aerosols released from ENMs in the workplace may serve as a starting point for further standardisation.

Source: Verband der Chemischen Industrie (hat tip to Nanowerk News)

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