[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 105 (Thursday, June 3, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29787-29788]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-11626]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[CDC-2016-0001; Docket Number NIOSH-260-A]


Final Current Intelligence Bulletin 70: Health Effects of 
Occupational Exposure to Silver Nanomaterials

AGENCY: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: NIOSH announces the availability of the final Current 
Intelligence Bulletin (CIB) 70: Health Effects of Occupational Exposure 
to Silver Nanomaterials.

DATES: The final document was published on May 26, 2021 on the CDC 
website.

ADDRESSES: The document may be obtained at the following link: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2021-112/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jay Vietas, ([email protected]), 
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, Mailstop C-14, 1090 Tusculum Avenue, 
phone (513) 533-8150 (not a toll free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NIOSH first published a request on December 
19, 2012, for information on occupational exposure to silver 
nanomaterials, possible health effects in workers exposed to silver 
nanomaterials, toxicology studies of silver nanomaterials in animals 
and cellular systems, and information on exposure measurement methods, 
control measures, and other data in the Federal Register [77 FR 75169]. 
In January 2016, NIOSH released a draft of the CIB for external review 
and published notices of a public meeting and comment period on January 
21, 2016 in the Federal Register [81 FR 342], and February 10, 2016 [81 
FR 7124]. A public meeting was held on March 23, 2016, and members of 
the public, stakeholders, and scientific peer reviewers were given the 
opportunity to provide comments by April 22, 2016. In response to those 
comments, NIOSH performed a second systematic review of the scientific 
literature through January 2017 to include additional publications on 
the occupational exposure to silver nanomaterials and possible health 
effects in humans and toxicology

[[Page 29788]]

studies of silver nanomaterials in animals and cellular systems. Based 
on review of the scientific literature, NIOSH revised the draft CIB and 
developed a recommended exposure limit (REL) for silver nanomaterials. 
The revised draft CIB was released for public review with a Federal 
Register notice on September 18, 2018 [83 FR 47174]. The notice 
included a request for comments from peer reviewers and the public and 
provided information regarding a second public meeting that was held on 
October 30, 2018. The purpose of the public review was to obtain 
comments on whether the NIOSH draft document (1) adequately and clearly 
described the scientific literature on the potential adverse health 
effects of silver nanomaterials, and (2) demonstrated that the NIOSH 
recommendations on occupational exposure to silver nanomaterials are 
consistent with current scientific knowledge. Public, stakeholder, and 
scientific peer reviewers were given the opportunity to submit comments 
to the docket by November 30, 2018.
    NIOSH carefully considered the comments received on the revised 
draft document. Reviewers provided comments on the NIOSH assessment of 
the potential adverse health effects of occupational exposure to silver 
nanomaterials, on the data and methods NIOSH used to develop a 
recommended exposure limit for silver nanomaterials, on the NIOSH 
recommended methods for assessing and controlling exposures to silver 
nanomaterials in the workplace, and on the identified data gaps and 
future research needs. In developing the final document, NIOSH 
performed an additional systematic literature search in April 2019 to 
determine if any subsequent studies in animals or humans had been 
published that pertained to the quantitative risk assessment and the 
derivation of a REL for silver nanomaterials. No additional studies 
were found that impacted those topics. NIOSH responded to the public, 
stakeholder, and peer review comments received and developed the final 
document consistent with the responses to comments. These comments and 
the NIOSH responses are available at: https://www.regulations.gov/search/docket?filter=cdc-2016-0001.
    The final CIB provides a comprehensive scientific review of the 
scientific literature pertaining to occupational exposure to silver 
nanomaterials. The literature includes studies of exposures to silver 
nanomaterials in the workplace, toxicological effects of exposure to 
silver nanomaterials in experimental animal and cellular systems, and 
effects of particle size and other properties on the toxicological 
effects of silver. NIOSH assessed the potential health risks of 
occupational exposure to silver nanomaterials by evaluating the 
scientific literature. Studies in animals have shown adverse lung and 
liver effects associated with exposure to silver nanoparticles. Based 
on an assessment of those data, NIOSH developed a REL for silver 
nanomaterials. This new REL applies to processes that produce or use 
silver nanomaterials in the workplace. In addition, NIOSH continues to 
recommend its existing REL for total silver (metal dust and soluble 
compounds, as Ag) [www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0557.html]. In the CIB, 
NIOSH provides recommendations on the measurement and control of 
occupational exposures to silver and silver nanomaterials.
    NIOSH further recommends the use of workplace exposure assessments, 
engineering controls, safe work procedures, training, and education, 
and established medical surveillance approaches to prevent potential 
adverse health effects from occupational exposure to silver 
nanomaterials. NIOSH proposes research needed to fill remaining data 
gaps on the potential adverse health effects of occupational exposure 
to silver nanomaterials.

John J. Howard,
Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 2021-11626 Filed 6-2-21; 8:45 am]
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