The health effects of engineered nanomaterials in workers

After almost 20 years of engineered nanomaterials (ENM) use in commerce, it is time to assess what is known about their health effects among workers. As the production of nanomaterials has grown, so has the workforce handling them. Within this growing workforce, the numbers of workers with adverse health effects from ENM exposure remains relatively unknown (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, OH, USA).

The following factors can affect the assessment of ENM health effects: (i) the immense universe of potentially unique ENM and the great diversity in their toxic potential requires a unique assessment for each type, making a single overarching assessment of ENM health effects inappropriate; (ii) an assumed low extent of exposures due to a global attempt to promote responsible development of nanotechnology through preventive measures to control exposure to workers (Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.  Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA)