I will not attempt to wax poetically about this article though I found the title amusing. Maynard's article has one of the finest summaries of nanoscience and risk issues associated with exposure of nanoparticle that you can find anywhere. [I have a collection of articles {less than 10} I send to folks inquiring about nano and this one was added to the package]. Maynard reviews the unique scale dependent properties association with nanoparticles and explicates the issues confronting the occupational hygiene community with clarity and succinctness. He write in a registry that is approachable by anyone with a superficial understanding of toxicology. I particularly welcomed the following concepts.
- Categorizing some applications of nanomaterials with "red flags" adds a sense of rationality to the panicky articles festooning our popular magazine and newspapers and separates legitimate health concerns from spurious ones.
- While his examination of hazard potentials of aerosol-ed nanomaterials was a bit halting and required many rereads, his discussion of "control banding" as a concept that might be imported to exposure question for nanoparticles was enlightening and gave me one more response to precautionists.
- The concept of an "impact index" fascinates me and I expect to hear much more about this at the forthcoming ICON sponsored "Research Needs Assessment" meeting in Bethesda in January.
Andrew is on the steering committee for ICON. He is also a friend and thankfully a colleague. Nevertheless and without any reservations, this article must be read by anyone trying to keep ahead of the health and safety issues associated with nanoparticles.
No comments:
Post a Comment