Nanotechnology poses health risk to European workers

Contact with a wide range of chemicals and other hazardous substances at work is endangering the health of workers across Europe, and nanotechnology is one of the risks causing most concern, according to a new report by European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA).

The report – titled Expert Forecast on Emerging Chemical Risks – identifies the main groups of substances which could pose new and increasing risks to workers, contributing to diseases which range from allergies, asthma, and infertility to cancers.

The Expert Forecast on Emerging Chemical Risks, established by 49 experts across Europe, puts nanoparticles at the top of the list of substances from which workers need protection. Nanotechnology is used in industries such as cosmetics and IT products and is expected to grow rapidly into a global, multibillion-pound market. While more research into the degree of damage from nanoparticles on human health is needed, sufficient information to develop interim working practices to reduce workplace exposure is available, says the report.

The report also forecasts substances likely to cause cancers, for example diesel exhausts. It also warns that the level of awareness of reprotoxicants – substances that can damage reproductive health – is still very scarce, stigmatised as a women’s health issue, and too rarely considered in workplace risk assessments.

Occupations identified as areas of emerging concern by the report included waste management, construction and service activities such as cleaning or home nursing.

Jukka Takala, Director of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, commented:

“It is estimated that each year there are 74,000 work-related deaths linked to hazardous substances encountered in the workplace. This means that ten times more people die from dangerous substances than from workplace accidents. Many companies do not give enough consideration to the elimination or substitution of hazardous substances. Management of chemical risks is particularly poor in SMEs and subcontractor firms.”