Montréal, February 3,
2009 — The very first guide in Québec to deal with managing
the risks associated with synthetic nanoparticles has just been published. It is
a best practices guide published jointly by the Institut de recherche
Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST), the Commission de la
santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST) and NanoQuébec. The guide sets out a
prevention strategy appropriate to the workers and researchers who use,
manufacture or synthesize nanoparticles.
A practical approach The authors of the
guide note that the level of knowledge on health and
safety risks related specifically to nanoparticles is still very
limited. For one thing, the toxic effects linked to the ability of these
particles to pass through various biological barriers, disperse in the organism
and accumulate in certain organs and within cells have only been partially
documented. While we know that nanoparticles can be more toxic than their
equivalent larger-scale chemical counterparts, current knowledge nevertheless
allows us to manage the risks, even when the levels of toxicity and exposure are
uncertain. Designed for companies, researchers and other stakeholders concerned
about the effects of nanotechnologies, the guide describes the current state of
knowledge in the field and makes recommendations to encourage taking
responsibility for and controlling its risk factors so as to prevent employment
injuries. The guide ascertains the health, safety and environmental risks of
nanotechnologies, suggests an approach for evaluating and controlling these
risks, documents current practices at the international level and specifies
which factors should form part of an institutional prevention program. In making
the document public, Marie Larue, IRSST President and CEO stated, “The guide
does not address every issue associated with nanoparticles. Its merits include
recommending a preventive approach for minimizing occupational exposure,
suggesting a step-by-step approach and providing concrete examples of
applications in industrial settings and research centres."
Research opportunities
It should be
recalled that the IRSST and NanoQuébec had called on Québec researchers to
submit proposals to advance knowledge in the field of prevention and effective
management of the risks associated with nanoparticles. The projects submitted
employed an approach based on eliminating risks at source. Those selected will
we published.
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Information
Claude Ostiguy, Ph. D.
chimistry
IRSST
514 288-1551
