Reviewing the occupational health knowledge based of carbon nanotubes

Exposure to small particles causes high risk concerning worker health. Parallel with the decrease in the particle size, major changes in the physical, chemical and toxicological behavior of the material is been observed. With the age of Nanotechnology, materials have been used in nano scale. Nano sized materials produced with this technology is rapidly increasing, which has several different applications in several different fields. Parallel to this, the number of workers exposed to these materials also increases. Exposure route, amount and exposure effects are important parameters in nanomaterial exposure. Nanomaterial exposure occurs in three different route; inhalation, dermal and ingestion. Between these three inhalation exposure is the most common exposure route. Nanomaterial sizes are very small, parallel to this their mass is also very small and because of this they may become airborne in small air currents. Due to lack of sufficient local ventilation and engineering controls, exposure to nanomaterials is inevitable. Specific methods for exposure monitoring of nanomaterials has not yet been developed and exact exposure limit values are also missing. Within this thesis, as a nanoparticle, synthesis and characterization methods of carbon nanotubes, occupational safety and risk assessments, sampling methods, potential risk factors, cell culture techniques, various toxicity workshops and effects into workers have been discussed.