The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) announced that it will form an interdisciplinary field team of NIOSH researchers in the area of nanotechnology.

The team will partner with employers and others in conducting field studies to observe and assess occupational health and safety practices in facilities where nanotechnology processes and applications are used.

The function of the field team will be to assess and obtain insight on materials, processes, current and potential worker exposures, work practices, control procedures, and medical monitoring in operations where nanomaterials are developed or utilized. The agency will use the information and insight obtained by the team to periodically update "Approaches to Safe Nanotechnology," an interim, on-line NIOSH guidance document, and to create a worker exposure database.

NIOSH posted "Approaches to Safe Nanotechnology" in October 2005 in response to requests for interim guidance from industry and other stakeholders, while research continues for answering key questions about the occupational health implications of nanotechnology.

The guidance document is available at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/nano_exchange.html.