On June 25, 2020, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC) Program Performance One-Pager (PPOP). NTRC conducts research to understand the potential effects on human health of exposure to engineered nanomaterials (ENM) and develops methods to control or eliminate exposures. According to the PPOP, NTRC’s accomplishments include conducting a survey to gather information about companies’ safety and health practices surrounding the use of ENMs to assess the impact of the NIOSH guidance. NTRC also expanded the focus of nanotechnology to include advanced materials and manufacturing. “What’s next” actions include:
- Publish the Current Intelligence Bulletin: Health Effects from Occupational Exposure to Silver Nanomaterials;
- Conduct an evaluation of biomarkers of exposure and disease using proteomic, metabolomics, and bioinformatics approaches;
- Work with industry leaders to develop practical, “real world” evaluation of hazard and risk represented by nanomaterials through their life cycles;
- Collaborate with international standards organizations, such as ASTM International, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) 229, to develop international standards; and
- Provide a draft Technical Report: Approaches to Developing Occupational Exposure Limits or Bands for Engineered Nanomaterials for external peer review.
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