79 research outputs found
Gestión de riesgos de exposición ocupacional a las nanopartículas en un proyecto en desarrollo: Estudio de caso
The production of nanotechnology based products is increasing, along with the conscience of the possible harmful effects of some nanomaterials. Along with technological advances, there is the need to improve knowledge of safety and health and apply that knowledge to the workplace. The “safety-by-design” approaches are attracting attention as helpful tools to develop safer products and production processes. The Systematic Design Analysis Approach could help to identify the solutions to control workplace risks by defining the emission and exposure scenarios and the possible barriers to interrupt them. When managing risks during a photocatalytic ceramic tiles development project, it was possible to identify relevant nanoparticles emission scenarios and related barriers. Possible ways to reduce them could then be defined, which would in turn, lead to an inherently safer production process.La producción de productos basados en la nanotecnología va en aumento, junto con la conciencia de los posibles efectos nocivos de algunos nanomateriales. Junto con los avances tecnológicos, existe la necesidad de mejorar el conocimiento de la seguridad y salud y aplicar ese conocimiento en los entornos laborales. La enfoques "Safety-by-design” están atrayendo la atención como herramientas útiles para desarrollar productos y procesos de producción más seguros. El enfoque de Análisis Sistemática de Diseño podría ayudar a identificar las soluciones para el control de los riesgos laborales mediante la definición de los escenarios de emisiones y de exposición y los posibles obstáculos a interrumpirlos. Cuando la gestión de riesgos durante un proyecto de desarrollo de las azulejos cerámicos fotocatalíticos, fue posible identificar escenarios de emisiones de las nanopartículas relevantes y las barreras relacionadas. Así, las posibles formas de reducirlos podrían ser definidas, lo que, a su vez, pueden dar lugar a un proceso de producción inherentemente más seguro.The research was part of the SELFCLEAN – Selfcleaning ceramic surfaces Project, funded by QREN – Technological R&D Incentives System – Co-operation projects, Project No. 21533. The authors would like to thank their project partners for their co-operation
Occupational characteristics of cases with asbestos-related diseases in The Netherlands
OBJECTIVE: To describe the occupational background of cases with an
asbestos-related disease and to present overall mesothelioma risks across
industries with historical exposure to asbestos. METHODS: For the period
1990-2000, cases were collected from records held by two law firms.
Information on jobs held, previous employers, activities performed and
specific products used were obtained from patients themselves or next of
kin. Branches of industry and occupations were coded and the likelihood of
asbestos exposure was assessed. For each branch of industry, the overall
risk of mesothelioma was calculated from the ratio of the observed number
of mesothelioma cases and the cumulative population-at-risk in the period
1947-1960. In order to compare mesothelioma risks across different
industries, risk ratios were calculated for the primary asbestos industry
and asbestos user industries relative to all other branches of industry.
RESULTS: In total, 710 mesotheliomas and 86 asbestosis cases were
available. The average latency period was approximately 40 yr and the
average duration of exposure was 22 yr. Ship building and maintenance
contributed the largest number of cases (27%), followed by the
construction industry (14%), the insulation industry (12%), and the navy
and army, primarily related to ship building and maintenance (5%). In the
insulation industry, the overall risk of mesothelioma was 5 out of 100
workers, and in the ship building industry, 1 out of 100 workers. The
construction industry had an overall risk comparable with many other
asbestos-using industries (7 per 10,000 workers), but due to its size
claimed many mesothelioma cases. CONCLUSION: The majority of cases with
asbestos-related diseases had experienced their first asbestos exposure
prior to 1960. For cases with first asbestos exposure after 1960, a shift
was observed from the primary asbestos industry towards asbestos-using
industries, such as construction, petroleum refining, and train building
and maintenance. Due to the long latency period, asbestos exposure from
1960 to 1980 will cause a considerable number of mesothelioma cases in the
next two decades
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Application of a pilot control banding tool for risk level assessment and control of nanoparticle exposures
Control Banding (CB) strategies offer simplified solutions for controlling worker exposures to constituents that are found in the workplace in the absence of firm toxicological and exposure data. These strategies may be particularly useful in nanotechnology applications, considering the overwhelming level of uncertainty over what nanomaterials and nanotechnologies present as potential work-related health risks, what about these materials might lead to adverse toxicological activity, how risk related to these might be assessed, and how to manage these issues in the absence of this information. This study introduces a pilot CB tool or 'CB Nanotool' that was developed specifically for characterizing the health aspects of working with engineered nanoparticles and determining the level of risk and associated controls for five ongoing nanotechnology-related operations being conducted at two Department of Energy (DOE) research laboratories. Based on the application of the CB Nanotool, four of the five operations evaluated in this study were found to have implemented controls consistent with what was recommended by the CB Nanotool, with one operation even exceeding the required controls for that activity. The one remaining operation was determined to require an upgrade in controls. By developing this dynamic CB Nanotool within the realm of the scientific information available, this application of CB appears to be a useful approach for assessing the risk of nanomaterial operations, providing recommendations for appropriate engineering controls, and facilitating the allocation of resources to the activities that most need them
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