| Ethical and Scientific Issues of Nanotechnology in the Workplace Paul A. Schulte and Fabio Salamanca-Buentello 1National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; 2University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics and Canadian Program on Genomics and Global Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Abstract
In the absence of scientific clarity about the potential health effects of occupational exposure to nanoparticles, a need exists for guidance in decisionmaking about hazards, risks, and controls. An identification of the ethical issues involved may be useful to decision makers, particularly employers, workers, investors, and health authorities. Because the goal of occupational safety and health is the prevention of disease in workers, the situations that have ethical implications that most affect workers have been identified. These situations include the a) identification and communication of hazards and risks by scientists, authorities, and employers ; b) workers' acceptance of risk ; c) selection and implementation of controls ; d) establishment of medical screening programs ; and e) investment in toxicologic and control research. The ethical issues involve the unbiased determination of hazards and risks, nonmaleficence (doing no harm) , autonomy, justice, privacy, and promoting respect for persons. As the ethical issues are identified and explored, options for decision makers can be developed. Additionally, societal deliberations about workplace risks of nanotechnologies may be enhanced by special emphasis on small businesses and adoption of a global perspective. Key words: ethics, hazards, nanotechnology, occupational safety and health, particles, toxicology. Environ Health Perspect 115:5–12 (2007) . doi:10.1289/ehp.9456 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 25 September 2006]
Address correspondence to P.A. Schulte, NIOSH, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226 USA. Telephone: (513) 533-8302. Fax: (513) 533-8588. E-mail: pschulte@cdc.gov We thank the following for input or comments on earlier drafts: M. Ellenbecker, S. Samuels, H. Kipen, M. Hoover, E. Kuempel, R. Zumwalde, C. Geraci, V. Murashov, P. Middendorf. The findings and conclusions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The authors declare they have no competing financial interests. Received 23 June 2006 ; accepted 25 September 2006.
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