4.1 The purpose of this guide is to provide a basic educational structure in the health and safety aspects of nanotechnology to organizations developing or carrying out education programs for the nanotechnology workforce. This guide helps to describe the minimum knowledge base for anyone involved in nanomanfacturing or nanomaterials research.

4.2 The basic education should prepare an individual for varied roles in the nanotechnology workplace. The material in this guide may require a post-secondary two-year science or technology background to be understood sufficiently. Depth on the topics should be sufficient to transfer between various applications of nanotechnology such as nanomaterial fabrication, nanomaterial characterization, nanolithography and patterning.

4.3 Nanoscale materials might present unique health and environmental hazards due to their unique properties. The hazards, if any, presented by nanomaterials can be very different from those presented by bulk/macroscopic materials.

4.4 Because nanotechnology is a rapidly developing field, the individual educated in nanotechnology needs to be cognizant of changing and evolving safety procedures and practices. Individuals should be aware of how to keep current on the technology, and have a base education that enables synthesis of emerging safety procedures and practices.

1.1 This guide provides guidelines for basic workforce education in health and safety topics related to nanotechnology, to be taught at an undergraduate college level. This education should be broad to prepare an individual to work safely within one of the many areas in nanotechnology research, development, or manufacturing. The individual so educated may be involved in material handling, manufacture, distribution, storage, use, or disposal of nanoscale materials.

1.2 This guide may be used to develop or evaluate an education program for health and safety issues in the nanotechnology field. This guide provides listings of key topics that should be covered in a nanotechnology education program on this subject, but it does not provide specific course material to be used in such a program. This approach is taken in order to allow workforce education entities to ensure their programs cover the required material while also enabling these institutions to tailor their programs to meet the needs of their local employers.

1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.

1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. The immediate and long term hazards, if any, of many nanomaterials are unknown. This guide does not address concerns with consumer usage and eventual disposal of products that contain nanomaterials.

1.5 This guide may not cover knowledge and skill objectives applicable to local conditions or required by local regulations.