Workers exposed to nanotech risk, warns scientist

By George Reynolds

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Nanotechnology

Workers in manufacturing producing nanotech foods and other goods
may be exposed to a health risk, according to a scientific article.

The article, published by the British Occupational Hygiene Society, serves as a warning to food manufacturers, who may be exposed to potential liability if scientific evidence subsequently indicates they subjected their workers to a health risk.

"The presence of engineered nanomaterials in the workplace today poses as an immediate challenge to how occupational safety and health is managed," said Andrew Maynard, author of the article and chief science advisor to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies. "So far, we have a number of red flags that indicate some engineered nanomaterials might present a new or unusual health hazard."

By 2015, an estimated two million workers will be involved in making about $2.6 trillion worth of nanotechnology manufactured goods annually, estimates Maynard.

Some analysts predict nanotechnology will be incorporated into $16.4bn worth of food products by 2010, he said quoting other research.

Nanotechnology has been touted as the next revolution in many industries, including food manufacturing. It is a sector for which the topic has become a hot consumer issue due to fears over the unknown consequences of digesting nano-scale particles designed to behave in specific way in the body.

There are already over 300 nanotechnology products on the market, including foods, food packaging and dietary supplements, according to an online database created by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies.

Maynard suggests that unless greater resources are made available now for research, workplaces using the new technology may not be safe.

Recent research with rats suggested that deposited, discrete nanometer-diameter particles are capable of penetrating the blood-brain barrier and entering the brain, he claimed.

He claims that the US government invests over $1bn annually on nanotech research but spends only $11m on studing its risks.

Until the more is known about the effects on humans, Maynard proposes developing what he calls a 'control banding' for industries using nanotechnology. This could involve appropriate risk control approaches based on a nanomaterial "impact index". The index would be a template to measure the risk posed by a particular product based on particle size, shape, and activity, along with the amount of material used and its dustiness.

"This is still very much at the conceptual stage,"​ said Maynard. "But unconventional problems need unconventional solutions, and these in turn will require a serious investment in relevant nanotechnology risk research."

Nanotechnology is the ability to measure, see, manipulate and manufacture things usually between one and 100 nanometers. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter; a human hair is roughly 100,000 nanometers wide.

The food sector is interested in developing new nano-engineered products that could provide health advantages to consumers. Scientists are looking at nanotechnology applications covering all areas of the food chain, from agricultural applications to food processing and enhancing bioavailability of nutrients.

The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies is an initiative launched by the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars and The Pew Charitable Trusts. Both are non-profit organizations created to find solutions to challenging public life.

The article is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/mel071

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