Introduction
Industrial Hygiene/Occupational Safety Special Interest Group (IH/OS SIG) Coordinator Deborah McFalls, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), organized an informal meeting of safety and health (S&H) professionals that have a role in their job related to nanotechnology S&H issues. Deborah facilitated the meeting in which the following people participated:
Steve Hoey, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL)
Scott Hollenbeck, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
Daniel Marsick, Department of Energy (DOE)
Deborah McFalls, ORISE
Randy Ogle, ORNL
Bruce Stockmeier, Argonne National Laboratory
Paul Wamback, DOE
The following invited guests were not able to participate in the meeting:
Ralph Hinterman, Argonne National Laboratory
Mark Hoover, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Bill McArthur, DOE
Ken Rivera, DOE
David Weitzman, DOE
Purpose of the Meeting
The stated reasons for the informal meeting were to provide an opportunity for these professionals with nanotechnology S&H related responsibilities to meet to discuss common concerns related to S&H nanotechnology activities. Also was a goal to discuss future network opportunities.
Common Nanotechnology S&H Concerns
Meeting participants discussed the following concerns:
Instrumentation related issues,
Medical surveillance activities,
Training needs, and
DOE guidance issues.
Among the Instrumentation concerns expressed were that there were no validated methods and no consistence of values for instrument use. ORNL expressed an interest in having an instrumentation related workshop to address these issues in details.
A move toward collecting data that would be of value in future medical surveillance was discussed. The three DOE sites represented in the meeting (Argonne National Laboratory, BNL, and ORNL) have taken steps to identify workers at their site that are working with nanomaterials. ORNL and Argonne National Laboratory have entered their collected data into an electronic system. At Argonne, the information is entered into an electronic system which goes directly into a lab-wide database. This information is available for use by both the training and medical departments. ORNL has met with ORISE staff members that support the DOE Medical Surveillance process to discuss their data collection initiative.
Nanotechnology related training initiatives were discussed. Deborah reminded meeting participants that the DOE Technology Supported Learning (TSL) Index has two nanotechnology related resources listed on their site at: http://www.orau.gov/eh/training/tsl_Index/tsl_index.htm. The TSL Index is a Web-based index of technology supported learning environment, safety, and health (ES&H) resources and training information. The TSL Index lists ES&H resources and training materials developed by DOE and its contractors, other federal agencies, academia, and the private sector. The TSL Index is a multi-purpose tool for improving performance. DOE and contractor employees can find ES&H courses to help meet training requirements. Training professionals can find resources useful for developing their own TSL or adaptation of existing courses to meet site-specific needs. Users can also find resources that can be adapted to meet their ES&H organizational needs. ORNL noted that they also had an online nanotechnology general awareness course. They agreed to provide Deborah access to look at their online course. Dan Marsick expressed an interest in finding what is already available electronically in individual laboratories for nanotechnology related training for laboratory professionals. It was noted it would be good if the best of such training materials could be used to put together a standard training module that could be customized for each laboratory.
Concerns were also expressed about the lack of DOE safety and health guidance for nanotechnology related activities. However, some participants noted that, although nanotechnology was not explicitly noted in DOE documents, the safety/health guidance for such actives was covered in several DOE directives and standards of good practice. It was noted that a flexible approach is needed to avoid stifling efforts to address emerging information about hazards and risk evaluation and control methods.
Nanotechnology Characterization Lab
Paul Wambach shared information about a Nanotechnology Characterization Lab that serves as a knowledge base for cancer researchers to facilitate the regulatory review of nanotechnologies intended for cancer therapies and diagnostics. According to Paul, this lab has been operating for almost 2 years and is beginning to post reports that include in-vitro and in-vivo tests of acute toxicity on nanoscale engineered materials submitted to them. Information can be accessed at their Web site at: http://ncl.cancer.gov/. Listed in the Resource section of their Web site (http://ncl.cancer.gov/resources_news.asp) are the review abstracts for the following two articles of interest that Paul mentioned during the meeting:
07.29.2007
"Immunological Properties of Engineered Nanomaterials," Nature Nanotechnology
Authors: Marina A. Dobrovolskaia, Ph.D. and Scott E. McNeil, Ph.D.
07.01.2007
"Nanotechnology Safety Concerns Revisited," Toxicological Sciences.
Author: Stephan T. Stern, Ph.D. and Scott E. McNeil, Ph.D.
Future Conference Call Meeting
The group discussed holding another informal meeting within the next 3-4 months to discuss similar topics addressed in this meeting.
For additional information, please contact: Deborah McFalls, IH/OS SIG Coordinator
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
P. O. Box 117, MS 10
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0117
