Empowering academia to look into the future: Nanotechnology safety education-creating the workforce that you will need

Nanotechnology is a broad, emerging area of technology development that cuts across nearly every sector of the economy and is gaining ground in the marketplace. During the last ten years, health safety personnel have been studying the effects of nanoparticles on human health. As nanotechnology gains momentum on the global market, there are some safety issues that must be explored and resolved before assuring a safe working environment. Workers need to be trained in sustainable and safe manufacturing practices. To have the greatest impact, safety training should be incorporated into two-year post-secondary and workforce education programs so that graduates enter the workforce with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to maintain a safe workplace from the outset of their careers. A number of professional organizations such as CDC, NIOSH, and ICON have begun collaboration efforts to establish a foundation to help define the fundamentals of nano-EHS safety content.