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COPYRIGHT 2006 A Thomson Healthcare Company
Nanotechnology at work can hurt
NIOSH urges precautions until risks are known
The emerging field of nanotechnology — the science of "building small" — holds enormous promise in almost every field, including medicine, cosmetics, information technology, optics, electronics, and materials development.
Devices measured on the nanoscale are smaller than viruses, from 100 to 10,000 times smaller than human cells, and as such can easily enter human cells. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter; a human hair, by comparison, is about 80,000 nanometers wide. (See Table 1.)
Occupational health nurses who work with employees involved in industries that are or will be using or developing nanotechnology should be aware that there are many unanswered questions about what effects such tiny, yet powerful, devices can have on the health of those exposed to them.
Epidemiologist Linda A. McCauley, PhD, FAAN, professor of nursing and associate dean for research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, says that while our knowledge of what health risks may accompany exposure to nanodevices is limited at this point, the first thing an occupational health nurse needs to know is whether her company is already using nanotechnology. "Nurses should keep their radar up about new processes, keep their ears open, and stay informed about new technologies being developed," she suggests. Nurses should also stay abreast of toxicological testing done on nanomaterials used in their workplaces.
Nanotechnology already in use
No longer confined to research and theoretical usefulness, nanotechnology's value in clinical applications has already been proven in several areas,...
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