Aug 1 2007
Experts in workplace protection and nanoparticle monitoring from around the country will come together with business leaders at the nanoTX’07 Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Summit to explore the state of the art in worker and environmental protection. The EHS Summit will open to a live audience of interested professionals at the nanoTX’07 Conference and Expo, October 3-4, at the Dallas Convention Center during International Nanotechnology Week.
Nanotechnology has great potential to deliver societal benefits, but it may also pose significant risks to human health and the environment. As materials reach the nanoscale, novel properties emerge, such as changes in surface chemistry, reactivity, and electrical conductivity, which could alter toxicological properties or exposure potential.
"With so little known about the long-term consequences of exposure to nanoparticles and other nanomaterials, effective worker protection and risk management strategies are critical for both new and established businesses,” said Dr. John Balbus, MD, MPH, Chief Health Scientist at Environmental Defense, one of the EHS Summit’s organizers. “This Summit will provide the latest scientific information and best practices to ensure protection of health and the environment."
One of the EHS Summit panels will present the latest science and best risk management practices for industries working with nanotechnology.
This event explores cutting-edge issues vital to the safe and responsible use of nanotechnology,” said Dr. Kristen Kulinowski, PhD, Rice University, another of the Summit’s organizers. “The special emphasis on workplace issues is especially timely as scale-up of nanomaterials proceeds at an ever-accelerating rate.”
Another panel will address the different guidance documents for assessing and managing potential environmental and health risks from nanotechnology products that have been developed and published over the course of the past year.
"Nanotechnology presents us with new challenges to protecting health and safety in the workplace that will not be solvable using old approaches in every case,” said Dr. Andrew Maynard, PhD, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. “The success of the nanotechnology revolution will depend in part on how well we foresee potential new risks, and how we equip ourselves to navigate around them."