The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) recognizes the importance of nanotechnologies in Europe and globally. They may enable innovations, create new jobs and promote wellbeing in Europe. To this end, enterprises, research organizations and regulators need to demonstrate that engineered nanomaterials (ENM) are safe for workers, consumers and the environment.
The primary goal of FIOH’s Nanosafety Research Centre is to contribute to the safe use of ENM, especially in Finnish workplaces, and to support regulators, social partners and other stakeholders in Finland and beyond. The Centre was established in 2011 with Professor Kai Savolainen as Director and Dr. Lea Pylkkänen as Scientific Coordinator.
The Centre’s main tasks are: studying health effects of engineered nanoparticles; assessment of exposure to nanoparticles at workplaces; producing tools for risk assessment and management; and education and sharing information about safe use of nanomaterials. See more at www.ttl.fi/nanosafetycentre.
FIOH develops safety of nanotechnologies, for example, through coordinating and participating in national and EU level research projects, such as NANOSOLUTIONS (see at http://nanosolutionsfp7. com/ ), NANODEVICE, MARINA, SCAFFOLD and GuideNANO projects. They all deal with ENM safety, especially in workplaces, exposure and risk assessment, as well as increasingly ENM safety in various states of ENM life cycle. Social dialogue in developing ENM and nanotechnologies has also become increasingly important for FIOH.
In addition, FIOH actively participates in international discussions on safety of nanotechnologies, for example through organizing conferences, such as SENN2015 (12-15 April 2015, Helsinki).
