Home > News > Safety practices lax in nanomaterials research labs
February 15th, 2010
Safety practices lax in nanomaterials research labs
Abstract:
In this week's Nature, researchers presented a survey of university and public laboratories showing that lab workers are not using adequate safety equipment when working with nanomaterials. As a lab rat who has worked at two universities and visited many other labs, I am not surprised to hear that some researchers are taking shortcuts with their personal safety, but the magnitude and ubiquity of the problem detailed in this survey was surprising.
The survey was sent to researchers based on recent publications with keywords like "nanoparticle" or "nanowire," and 240 people responded. Of the respondents, 40 percent were from Europe, 37 percent were from Asia, 18 percent were from North America, and 5 percent were from elsewhere. Almost 90 percent of respondents either were not aware or believed that no federal or state/local regulations existed for handling nanomaterials. Nearly half said that their lab/university had no nanomaterial handling guidelines and over a quarter did not know or were unaware of whether their lab/university had specific regulations.
Source:
arstechnica.com
Bookmark:
News and information
Beautiful "flowers" self-assemble in a beaker: Elaborate nanostructures blossom from a chemical reaction perfected at Harvard May 17th, 2013
Artificial Forest for Solar Water-Splitting: Berkeley Lab Researchers Report First Fully Integrated Artificial Photosynthesis Nanosystem May 17th, 2013
Moth-Inspired Nanostructures Take the Color Out of Thin Films May 17th, 2013
NIA Public Briefing: Nanotechnology and the Council of Europe May 17th, 2013
Add boron for better batteries: Rice University theorists say graphene-boron mix shows promise for lithium-ion batteries May 17th, 2013
Laboratories
Artificial Forest for Solar Water-Splitting: Berkeley Lab Researchers Report First Fully Integrated Artificial Photosynthesis Nanosystem May 17th, 2013
Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy
Beautiful "flowers" self-assemble in a beaker: Elaborate nanostructures blossom from a chemical reaction perfected at Harvard May 17th, 2013
Artificial Forest for Solar Water-Splitting: Berkeley Lab Researchers Report First Fully Integrated Artificial Photosynthesis Nanosystem May 17th, 2013
Moth-Inspired Nanostructures Take the Color Out of Thin Films May 17th, 2013
NIA Public Briefing: Nanotechnology and the Council of Europe May 17th, 2013
Materials
Advancements and developments of solid-state nanopores sensors May 16th, 2013
Physicists discover a new kind of friction: Friction in the nano-world May 16th, 2013
Squishy hydrogels may be the ticket for studying biological effects of nanoparticles May 15th, 2013
Pitt Chemists Demonstrate Nanoscale Alloys So Bright They Could Have Potential Medical Applications: “Think about a particle that will not only help researchers detect cancer sooner but be used to treat the tumor, too.” May 15th, 2013
Announcements
Artificial Forest for Solar Water-Splitting: Berkeley Lab Researchers Report First Fully Integrated Artificial Photosynthesis Nanosystem May 17th, 2013
Moth-Inspired Nanostructures Take the Color Out of Thin Films May 17th, 2013
NIA Public Briefing: Nanotechnology and the Council of Europe May 17th, 2013
Scientists capture first direct proof of Hofstadter butterfly effect May 17th, 2013
Environment
NIA Public Briefing: Nanotechnology and the Council of Europe May 17th, 2013
Nanoadsorbent Synthesized to Remove Toxic Dyes from Textile Industry Wastewater May 16th, 2013
New Stanford Nanoscavengers Could Usher In Next Generation Water Purification May 15th, 2013
INSCX™ exchange to present a nanotechnology-based Emission Reduction Programme, Ankara, Turkey, June 2013 May 14th, 2013
Safety-Nanoparticles/Risk management
NIA Public Briefing: Nanotechnology and the Council of Europe May 17th, 2013
Squishy hydrogels may be the ticket for studying biological effects of nanoparticles May 15th, 2013
Ubiquitous engineered nanomaterials cause lung inflammation, study finds: Substances are used in everything from paint to sporting equipment May 6th, 2013
Council of Europe commences regulation of nanotechnology April 27th, 2013