Nano & Me - Technology in our lives

Is nano a problem?

Work safety laws do not explicitly refer to nano, although the legal requirements apply whether or not nano is manufactured, handled or used. The laws are wide enough to cover nanomaterials, but some people have questioned whether in practice they are appropriate for regulating nanomaterials.

Lack of information and risk assessment methods

In order to be able to conduct the risk assessments required by worker safety laws, lots of information is needed on a substance’s hazardous properties and exposure levels.

Concerns have been raised that there just isn’t enough data on nanomaterials to allow employers to perform the necessary assessments or to judge whether those assessments are appropriate. For more information, see HSE Review of the Adequacy of Current Regulatory Regimes

As well as this, there lacks agreement over the most appropriate means of measuring and assessing exposure to nanomaterials. There is concern that the assessment methods currently used are ill-suited to nano.

Exposure limits

There is concern that, because Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) are based on information relating to conventional-scale particles, they may not be suitable for nanoparticles.

The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering recommended that the HSE considers setting lower workplace exposure levels for manufactured nanoparticles.

Is anything being done about this?

There are a number of guidance documents for employers required to assess and manage risks associated with nanomaterials. Whilst these documents are not legally binding, they can help employers to interpret and apply the legal requirements to nano.

The British Standards Institute (BSI), for example, has published a guide to the safe handling of nanomaterials, and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has issued an information sheet on the risk management of carbon nanotubes.

Nano-specific assessment methods are also being developed by international standards organisations. The ISO, for example, is currently creating standards on techniques in nanomaterial measurement, risk characterisation and assessment. For further information, see the Introduction to Law and Nano page.