NIOSH requests data to help develop exposure limits for nanomaterials
Washington — NIOSH is seeking scientific information regarding the dangers or safety of engineered nanomaterials as the agency explores the development of occupational exposure limits.
ENMs are chemical substances that have at least one dimension (height, width or length) that is smaller than 100 nanometers and are used in numerous industrial applications, including paints, electronics and medications.
According to a Request for Information published in the Dec. 17 Federal Register, relevant materials include published studies with full citations and unpublished studies with authors, affiliations, year and “any context on how the data [was] collected.”
NIOSH also is asking for human, animal and cellular toxicology data, including “acute, subchronic or chronic data; the physicochemical characterizations of those ENMs; and other information about the biological mechanisms and toxicological effects of ENMs.” Also helpful are studies that include evaluations of dose-response relationships between ENM exposure and adverse lung ailments, such as fibrosis, inflammation or neoplasia.
The deadline to comment on the RFI is Feb. 18.
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