ICON Blog

The International Council on Nanotechnology

Early buzz for AIHce

The American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Expo (AIHce) will be held this year between May 30–June 4 in Toronto, CA. The theme of Discoveries without Borders dovetails nicely with the two sessions being offered on sustainability and nanotechnology. (I will be presenting on global challanges to nano-EHS on Wednesday, June 4.) This article, AIHce: A Value in Economy, is obviously aimed at generating healthy attendance at what is no doubt a key revenue generator for the AIHA. However, the title got me thinking about the role of occupational safety in tough economic times. As companies trim every possible ounce of fat from their budgets, they have an obligation not to skimp on workplace safety for their employees and responsible safeguards for the environment. Doing this in a nanotechnology-related enterprise can be challenging, not because there is little will, but because good guidance can be difficult to find and interpret. That makes it even more important for those with knowledge to distribute it as broadly as possible. A good place to start for those in North America (AIHA's key constituency) is with the nanotechnology pages at NIOSH and IRSST. We hope that the GoodNanoGuide will serve as a resource for companies as well when it goes public this summer.

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