Transcript Click to add title - Safe Work Australia

Nanotechnology Work Health
& Safety
Food & Grocery Nanotechnology Forum
26 February 2013
Howard Morris (Safe Work Australia)
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COAG SELECT COUNCIL ON WORKPLACE
RELATIONS
SAFE WORK AUSTRALIA
Comcare
ACT WorkCover
WorkCover Authority of NSW
WorkSafe - NT
Workplace Health & Safety Qld
SafeWork SA
Workplace Standards Tasmania
WorkSafe Victoria
WorkSafe Western Australia
Workers
Employers
ACTU
ACCI, AIG
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Nanotechnology Work Health & Safety
Program
• Managed by Safe Work Australia agency
– funding under National Enabling Technologies Strategy
Focus areas
• Nanotechnologies & WHS regulatory framework
• Hazardous properties of manufactured nanomaterials
• Effectiveness of workplace controls
• Emissions and exposure measurement
• Information for nanotechnology organisations
• Participating in international initiatives & maintaining
consistency with international approaches
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Applying the Work Health and Safety
Regulatory Framework to Nanotechnologies
• Obligations under work health and safety legislation need to
be met for nanomaterials and nanotechnologies
• Where understanding of nanomaterial hazards is limited
– use precautionary approach to eliminate or minimise
workplace exposures to manufactured nanomaterials
• Model Codes of Practice for SDS & Workplace Labelling
– Recommend SDS/label should be provided for engineered
or manufactured nanomaterials unless evidence they are
not hazardous
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Precautionary Approach
Approach 1
•
By considering what would be a reasonable worst case, determine
how severe the hazard could be
•
Choose controls that are appropriate for that hazard severity
Approach 2
•
Assume nanomaterials are highly hazardous
•
Implement high level engineering controls – enclosure or isolation
Approach 3
•
Identify controls used for the same/similar process with larger
particles
•
Use more stringent controls for nanomaterials
– e.g. if general ventilation is used for larger particles, use LEV for
nanomaterials
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Health Hazards of Nanomaterials
Requirement under WHS Regulations to classify
according to the GHS
• Considerable knowledge on health impacts of fine &
ultrafine particulate air pollution
• Main concern for workplace is inhalation exposure
• Range of hazard severities: low to high
• Nanoparticles generally more toxic than larger particles of
same material Engineered Nanomaterials: A review of the
toxicology & health hazards (R. Drew, Toxikos 2009)
• Carbon nanotubes: NICNAS recommended classification as
hazardous chemical
– GHS, Suspected Carcinogen (Category 2)
Human health hazard assessment and classification of carbon
nanotubes (NICNAS, 2012)
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Safety Hazards of Nanomaterials
• Potential safety risk e.g. fire & explosion
• Likelihood of ignition is dependent on particle type
• Potential to form explosive dust clouds?
– air concentrations of nanomaterials required for
explosion much higher than due to fugitive emissions
from well-controlled nanotechnology processes
– however, if production is not designed and/or controlled
effectively, in processes or in handling there is potential
for air concentrations in localised area to be high enough
to result in explosion if ignited
Evaluation of potential safety (physicochemical) hazards associated with the
use of engineered nanomaterials (Draft Report, Toxikos 2012)
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Workplace Controls for Nanomaterials
• Potential exposure is material &
application dependent
– highest when handling free
particles
– lower if working with articles
containing embedded
nanomaterials
• Control of exposure
– apply the hierarchy of control
– conventional engineering
controls can effectively reduce
exposures
• if designed & maintained
appropriately
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Effectiveness of Process Enclosure &
LEV
Process enclosure
Blending with carbon nanotubes for composites.
(Han et al, Inhalation Toxicology, 2008)
Number of
CNTs/cm3
Before process
enclosure
After process
enclosure
Personal
193.6
0.018
Area
172.9
0.05
Process 2 - C
7.00E+04
6.00E+04
extrusion
machine
started polyurethane
additive only
5.00E+04
extraction
turned off
extraction turned
back on
clay
added to
hopper
extrusion
stopped
4.00E+04
local
extraction
ventilation
turned on
3.00E+04
2.00E+04
1.00E+04
Time
CPC3781 background
CPC3781 at source
13:12
12:57
12:43
12:28
12:14
12:00
11:45
11:31
11:16
0.00E+00
11:02
Particle Number Concentration (p cm-3)
opened
extruder
plate
release
artificial
smoke
LEV Effectiveness
From McGarry et al (QUT/WHSQ 2012)
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Control of Safety Hazards
• Same principles that apply to management of fine powders, dusts &
dusty materials should be considered
– Avoid dust becoming airborne
– Handling combustible nanopowders in liquid form when possible
– Design of machinery to prevent ignitions and sparks
• control operating temperature of electrical equipment
– Use of controlled-atmosphere production and storage processes
• risk of asphyxiation
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Measurement of Nanoparticle Emissions
Research set-up for
measurement of
nanoparticle emissions
(P.McGarry et al, QUT/WHSQ,
2012)
Combination of P-Trak,
DustTrak & OPC
sufficient for workplace
investigations
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Exposure Standards & Limits
Type of
Standard/Limit
Substance
Size of material
Exposure Standard/Limit
3 mg/m3
8 or 10 hour TWA,
Australian WES
Graphite (all forms
except fibres)
Respirable
3 (respirable)
Australian WES
Carbon black
Nanomaterial
3 (inhalable)
US NIOSH
Proposed REL
Carbon nanofibres,
including CNTs
Nanomaterial
0.007
Japan AIST
Proposed EL
Fullerenes
Nanomaterial
0.39
Australian WES
Crystalline silica
Respirable
0.1 (respirable)
Australian WES
Amorphous silica
Inhalable
10 (inhalable)
Australian WES
Fumed silica
Nanomaterial
2 (respirable)
US NIOSH REL
TiO2
Nanomaterial
0.3
US NIOSH REL
TiO2
Fine size fraction
2.4
Australian WES
TiO2
Inhalable
10 (inhalable)
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Published Research Reports
Plus
• Durability of carbon nanotubes and their potential to cause inflammation
• Nanoparticles from printer emissions in workplace environments
• Health effects of laser printer emissions measured as particles
• Human health hazard assessment and classification of carbon nanotubes
www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
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Summary
• Obligations under Work Health and Safety legislation need to be
met for nanomaterials and nanotechnologies
• Limited but growing amount of information on hazards of
nanomaterials
• Conventional controls can be used to minimise exposure
– take precautionary approach in choosing controls
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