Issues in the Development of Epidemiologic Studies of Workers Exposed to Engineered Nanoparticles

Abstract

Consideration of these issues provides the foundation for initiating epidemiologic research on workers exposed to engineered nanoparticles.

A Review of Engineered Nanomaterial Manufacturing Processes and Associated Exposures

“…ENMs are increasingly being used in a wide range of manufacturing processes and commercially available products. Hence, the number of workers (in primary production and downstream users) that may be exposed to ENM is expected to increase to nearly 2 million by the year 2020, with many workplaces employing only a handful of workers (79). Toxicity of an ENM depends in part upon its physicochemical properties, route of exposure, dose, and numerous other factors.…”

A Road Map Toward a Globally Harmonized Approach for Occupational Health Surveillance and Epidemiology in Nanomaterial Workers

“…One proposed approach to addressing the diversity of particle types is to de-emphasize exposure assessment in favor of grouping materials that produce similar pathways to disease. 8 The following steps should be taken for collecting data for (large-scale) occupational health studies:…”

“…The implementation of such studies is currently hampered by (1) few standardized, accurate, and reliable approaches for estimating exposure; (2) large variability in nanomaterial metrics and coexposures; (3) lack of information about health effects and biomarkers; (4) lack of large production forces in this emerging industry, rather a considerable proportion in research and development; (5) questionable statistical power related to currently small workforce sizes and short latency for disease occurrence; and (6) a changing regulatory framework without harmonized registration systems for workers used in these industries. 8 Numerous different approaches could be adopted for monitoring the health effects of nanomaterials, including occupational health reporting schemes, health surveillance, health risk appraisal surveys, and self-reporting questionnaires. 3,9,10 Acceptability of different approaches will be strongly influenced by the social contexts and regulatory backgrounds in different countries.…”

Overview of Risk Management for Engineered Nanomaterials

“…Animal studies have also yielded an informative array of candidate biomarkers of exposure and effect that could be assessed cross-sectionally and possibly prospectively [43]. There are many technical and logistical issues in developing and conducting epidemiologic studies of workers exposed to ENMs, but there should be a commitment of funds for international research to pursue the health of the current and future workforce [44][45].…”