On the Issue of Ensuring Occupational Safety in the Industry when Handling Nanopowders of Rare Earth Metals

The study is dedicated to the relevant and significant problem of ensuring occupational safety when handling nanopowders of rare earth metal oxides. The authors note that the unique physical and chemical properties of nanopowders, unlike macroscopic materials, can negatively affect human organisms. The study aims to substantiate the necessity to develop specialized methods of ensuring occupational safety when investigating air contamination with nanopowders of rare earth metal oxides in laboratory conditions where the dust concentration increases significantly. It is emphasized that the existing occupational safety regulations and sanitary-hygienic requirements do not consider the features of nanoparticles. These include the high reactivity and dispersion ability, which makes their use inefficient for the protection of employees handling such materials. In order to evaluate the content of rare earth metals in the air, the modern particle counter Fluke 985 has been used. Comparative measurements of dust particle concentrations have been carried out in various conditions: in the lab where nanopowders are handled, in premises where such operations are not conducted, and in the exhaust fume hood immediately during work and upon its completion. The results of experimental studies demonstrated the significant excess of dust particle concentration in the air of the working area when handling nanopowders of rare earth metal oxides, which confirms the need for stricter safety measures. To adequately estimate risks and ensure safety for employees, additional studies of the impact of nanopowders of rare earth metal oxides on human health, the development of more efficient methods to control their concentration in the air, and, first of all, establishing permissible norms of nanoparticle content in the air of working premises, considering their dimensions and physical and chemical properties, are required. The development and implementation of new occupational safety norms and standards to handle nanopowders of rare earth metal oxides is currently a relevant and crucial task.