Risks and Control of Nanomaterials

TREVOR OGDEN*

British Occupational Hygiene Society, Melbourne Business Court, Derby DE24 8LZ, UK ? *Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. +44 1332 298101 ogden{at}ogs.org.uk Received April 28, 2012. Revision received April 20, 2012. Accepted April 20, 2012. In this issue we bring together 12 articles on
nanomaterials and approaches to risk control. The issue opens with a review by Eileen Kuempel and colleagues of the research needs for effective management of these materials. This is followed by
two items on tools for control: a review of control banding and a report of discussions on reference values. Then an article describes the development of a practical generic approach to control, applying the popular tool Stoffenmanager to nanoparticles.

After this come two articles on exposure: one in the new field of manufacture of nanotubes …
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New Risks for Kids Crossing the Street

By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Oct. 19, 2012 -- Today's parents may need to update their advice for crossing the street safely to: "Look both ways and turn off the cell phone!"

A new study shows teens are twice as likely as adults to be hit by a car while crossing the street because they were distracted by an electronic device like a cell phone or iPod.

Researchers found 18% of teens treated at an urban emergency room for pedestrian accident injuries were using an electronic device when they were hit by a car while crossing the street. That's compared with only 9% of adults.

Among younger children, jaywalking or crossing in the middle of the street and darting into the street were the most common contributors to child pedestrian accidents.

The results were presented today at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans.

The study looked at what factors contributed to pedestrian car accidents among 1,075 people who were treated at a major trauma center in New York City after being hit by cars in the years 2008 to 2011. Of those involved in pedestrian accidents, 145 (13%) were children.

Among children aged 6 and younger, pedestrian car accidents occurred most often because the child darted into the street (44%) or crossed in the middle of the street rather than at a crosswalk (36%).

"While most of the young children in our study were supervised by a parent or guardian, these children still exhibited a lot of risky behaviors in terms of mid-block crossing and crossing against the signal," says researcher Nina Glass, MD, of Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City.

Unsupervised activity accounted for the majority of accidents involving children aged 7 to 12 years old (53%), followed by jaywalking (47%) and darting into the street (25%).

Most teenagers aged 13 to 17 who were struck by a car were also unsupervised (88%). Among teens hit by cars:

32% were jaywalking18% were using an electronic device14% darted into the street4% had used alcohol

In contrast, 18% of adult pedestrian accidents were due to jaywalking, 15% involved alcohol use, and 9% were linked to the use of an electronic device.

The results also showed children who were struck by a motor vehicle were more likely than adults to:

be male (65% vs. 53%)be treated and released without admission to the hospital (70% vs. 67%)SOURCES: American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition, Oct. 20-23, 2012, New Orleans. News release, American Academy of Pediatrics.

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