Understanding workplace processes and factors that determine exposures to engineered nanomaterials

This article looks at the factors that
influence engineered nanomaterial exposures
in the workplace, and proposes a multi-tiered model in which information on exposure factors can be obtained at the macrolevel (examining differences in exposures between different ENM sectors or product types); the midlevel (examining differences in exposures between workplaces within the same ENM sector or product type); and the microlevel (examining differences in exposure between tasks or between ENM types during the same task). Further, within the microlevel, potential exposure factors are defined by a source-receptor model. The authors recommend that auxiliary data be collected systematically, along with exposure measurements, to enable analysis of exposure factors as well as the pooling of data across studies.