ABSTRACT
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, West Virginia and Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A.
INTRODUCTION
Engineered nanoparticles are increasingly being developed and used for myriad electronic, pharmaceutical, automotive, aerospace, and other product applications. During handling of nanoparticles throughout their lifecycle, the potential exists for inhalation, dermal, and possibly ingestion exposures of people to nanoparticles, as well as potential environmental impact. The exposures can involve a wide range of nanoparticle sizes, shapes, functionalities, concentrations and exposure frequencies and durations. Anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling those exposures is key to protecting the health of researchers, production workers, users, and members of the public. This chapter describes key issues for understanding, applying, and expanding the concepts of exposure assessment to make safe management of nanomaterials a reality. Focus is onmeasurement and exposure assessment in research and occupational settings, which provide early opportunities for prevention of potential illness and injury and for development and sharing of realistic experience and understanding of nanoparticle behavior. In conjunction with other chapters in this book, principles of exposure assessment can be combined with information on the characteristics, characterization methods, physicochemical properties, and biological behavior and associated toxicity of engineered nanoparticles to manage the development and use of nanotechnology in a safe manner.
