Workplace health and safety and nanotechnology on the global scale

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an independent, non-governmental organization that maintains international standards that affect most industries.

Recently, PRRD senior policy advisor Mark Teo attended the ISO/TC 229 Interim Working Group Meeting in Sydney, Australia. ISO/TC 229’s scope is on the standardization in the field of nanotechnologies.

About 100 nanotechnology subject matter experts and stakeholders were there representing industry, academia, governments, and regulators from around the world. Participants focused on revising and updating nanotechnology standards, as well as developing standardized methods for determining toxicity of nanomaterials and conducting exposure assessments.

Innovating at a minuscule scale

A nanometer is one-billionth (10^-9) of a metre. Nanomaterials, or materials with external dimensions or internal structures in the nanoscale, are used in a range of industries and workplaces, including the manufacture of fuel cell catalysts, antimicrobial materials, paints, plastics, and cosmetics. Workers need to take precautions when handling some types of nanomaterials since ingesting, inhaling, or coming into contact with these materials can lead to adverse health effects.

“Nanotechnology is one of those emerging areas in which stakeholders around the world have taken proactive measures to ensure worker health and safety is addressed at an early stage,” Teo explains. “The countries that are actively participating in ISO/TC 229 are passionate about ensuring worker health and safety issues are addressed at a global level.”

While nanotechnology has many promising applications, Teo notes that conducting nanotechnology-related health and safety research can be complex and requires a lot of resources. That’s why working groups within ISO/TC 229 are so valuable because subject matter experts from around the world are collaborating.

Expanding knowledge

Canada holds leadership positions in a number of work items within the ISO/TC 229 working groups, including terminology and nomenclature, measurement and characterization, and health, safety, and environmental aspects of nanotechnologies.

Teo feels the level of awareness within Canada about nanotechnologies is much higher today, compared to ten years ago. One key contributing factor is that the Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group) has adopted a number of international standards as voluntary national standards. Some of the CSA standards are considered by Canadian stakeholders to be the de facto health and safety standards for nanotechnology in the country.

Teo adds that he was honoured to represent Canada on a global stage as part of the Canadian delegation.

“What I enjoyed most were the people that I interacted with – among the Canadian delegation, and also with scientists and delegates from other countries,” he says. “I got to learn and expand my knowledge on research projects that are going on in the field of nanotechnology, including ones related to worker health and safety.”