A new set of recommendations from the United States National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) contains several tidbits that might foreshadow how federal regulators may approach setting rules for nanoparticles, according to this article. The new document concludes that airborne titanium dioxide nanoparticles “should be considered a potential occupational carcinogen,” and outlines the agency’s suggestions for exposure levels to help workers avoid long-term problems. These NIOSH recommendations represent the first time that the agency has made a specific distinction between inhaling “ultrafine” particles and larger ones. Richard Denison, a senior scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund, says this approach – using size and surface area as the determination for whether a material is hazardous – is “I think more clearly stated and defended and justified here than I’ve seen before.” NIOSH’s new guidelines on titanium dioxide have been in the works since 2005, and are focused on the safety of those exposed to the substance during manufacturing, not while using consumer products. Philip Lippel, an advisory board member for the NanoBusiness Commercialization Association, says the new recommendations should come as a relief to manufacturers, as the report concludes that the hazards of exposure can be controlled through conditions that are relatively simple, and are most likely already in place at most manufacturing plants. Denison says that the idea that size is a major factor could be applied to all kinds of other substances. “This is reinforcing that actually risks that fall along a continuum but are greatly exacerbated as you get to smaller and smaller particle sizes are relevant and do require a different approach,” he said.
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/titanium_dioxide/id_35766