Nano-engineering bookkeeping
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
The International Council on Nanotechnology (ICON) says developing best practices for handling nano-materials is hindered because efforts to catalogue practices have not systematically documented current environment, health and safety practices in some workplace settings and geographies. ICON published findings from the first of a two-phase project it commissioned by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) to catalogue how industry is managing the potential occupational safety risks posed by nano-materials. The phase 1 report, "Current Knowledge and Practices regarding Environmental Health and Safety in the Nanotechnology Workplace," comes as the drug industry and FDA discuss whether the agency has sufficient resources to regulate the development and sale of nano-engineered OTC drugs, dietary supplements and other products (1"The Tan Sheet" Oct. 16, 2006, p. 4). ICON will issue findings Nov. 13 from the second phase, an international snapshot of workplace practices in nanotech industries...