Posted: May 20, 2008 |
Corporate nanotechnology survey in Germany explores exposure to nanomaterials |
(Nanowerk News) Results of a corporate survey by the Federal Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (BAuA) and the Association of the Chemical Industry (VCI) in Germany have been published on BAuA's website.
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Starting points for the joint questionnaire campaign were the stakeholder dialog events on September 26, 2005 at VCI in Frankfurt and on October 11-12, 2005 at the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU) in Bonn. Public authorities and industry saw a need for information regarding the manufacture and handling of nanomaterials at the workplace. For this reason, BAuA and VCI agreed to jointly gather relevant data, using a questionnaire format for this purpose.
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The questionnaire was sent to a total of 656 companies. With a return rate of 33% the questionnaire gives a first overview
of activities involving nanomaterials in Germany. This
makes the questionnaire useful and informative, and it should
be continued within a defined timeframe. Reasons for non
answers or the partly incomplete filling out of questionnaires
are not known, because questionnaires were anonymized so
that no relevant queries could be addressed directly to the
respondents. Here, queries over the telephone or the internet
would be useful, as this is already done in other surveys.
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Out of 217 participating companies, activities involving nanomaterials
are carried out by only 21%. The unexpectedly low
number of companies, who perform activities involving nanomaterials,
can be attributed to the given definition and to the
starting criterion in the questionnaire. Therefore, a further developed
version of the questionnaire should be brought in an
even more detailed form. For example, inter alia the starting
criterion for activities involving nanomaterials needs to be lowered
to < 10 kg/year, and activities involving suspensions
should be included, too.
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The number of workers in the production and in other activities
involving nanomaterials is not very high (71% - 1 to 9
workers). In particular, the middle range (50 to 249 workers)
is lacking in the implemented survey. Most companies (51%)
handle nanomaterials in volumes of < 100 kg/year. Only 7%
of companies handle nanomaterials in volumes of over 1000
tons/year.
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31% of companies carry out regular or largely exploratory exposure
measurements. Most companies, who do not carry
out measurements, handle nanomaterials in volumes of <
100 kg/year.
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For 85% of nanomaterials, their primary particle sizes are
known (maximum D50 is from 20 to < 50 nm). However, for
ca. 80% of products, their particle size distributions and particle
number concentrations at the workplace are not known
in relevant activities – the underlying reason is a work and
cost-intensive measuring technology that still needs to be
validated. Here, BAuA sees considerable need for action, in
order to support especially SMEs and start-ups in exploratory
exposure measurements at the workplace in activities involving
nanomaterials.
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It is still too early to make a general assessment of amounts
of exposure at workplaces with activities involving nanomaterials,
based on the results of the questionnaire.
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In 93% of cases (products), protection measures (process and
ventilation-technological measures and personal protective
measures) are taken in activities involving nanomaterials;
the questionnaire gives a first relevant overview.
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By starting the questionnaire campaign, a first step was taken
in Germany to gain an overview of the production, use
and handling of synthetic nanomaterials. Building on these findings, now focal areas and need for action can be identified
with suitable activities to follow, inter alia in orientational
measurements in SMEs and by recommending protection
measures.
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