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Scope

This guide outlines an educational basis for nanoEHS certification by providing EHS managers, from expert to novice, a fundamental understanding of the core principles of Toxicology and Nanotechnology, the Evolution of Policy and Regulations, Societal Impacts, the Role of NGOs, Risk Assessment and Management, and Green nanoscience.

This guide may not cover subject matter applicable to local conditions or required by local regulations.

This guide may be used to develop or evaluate an education and training program for nanoEHS.

This guide does not purport to address all of the EHS concerns, if any. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate EHS practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

Defining the Need for Training - Nanoscale materials may present unique EHS hazards due to their extremely small size. The hazards presented by nanoscale materials can be very different from those presented by macroscale materials.

There is a large constituency for this new program, given that the nanotechnology workforce in the United States is predicted to reach 800,000 by 2015 with approximately 40% employed by small- to medium-sized enterprises with limited EHS expertise or training capacity.

No personnel certification program currently exists for nanoEHS. Significant nanotechnology/nanomaterials development occurs in small batches by persons untrained in the principles of toxicology or EHS. Many small companies don't have EHS officers and effective regulation requires that officials quickly gain an understanding of nanoEHS issues.