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 Knowledge Brief: Containment Hierarchy of Controls. This brief explains the basics of the Containment Hierarchy of Controls, as described in ISPE’s Baseline® Guide: Volume 1—Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients. Information beyond the hierarchy described in the Baseline Guide has been added to illustrate alternative considerations typically contained in other versions of hierarchies, such as those used in industrial hygiene or risk-based manufacture of pharmaceutical products (Risk-MaPP) [Brock 2010].

NIOSH is the leading federal agency conducting research and providing guidance on the occupational safety and health implications and applications of nanotechnology. This research focuses NIOSH’s scientific expertise and its efforts on answering the following central questions:


 * How might workers be exposed to nanoparticles in the manufacturing or industrial use of nanomaterials?


 * How do nanoparticles interact with the body’s systems?


 * What effects might nanoparticles have on the body’s systems?

NIOSH has created a field research team to assess workplace processes, materials, and control technologies associated with nanotechnology. Research laboratories, producers, and manufacturers working with engineered nanomaterials have the opportunity to participate in a cost-free, on-site assessment that will give information about the potential for employee exposure, sources of emissions, as well as applicable engineering controls. The NIOSH control technology research program conducts engineering control studies. The field-study portion of this research is documented in workplace survey reports.

Current Strategies for Engineering Controls in Nanomaterial Production and Downstream Handling Processes

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