ISO Releases ISO/TS 12901-2:2026 for Occupational Risk Control

ISO/TS 12901-2:2026 replaces ISO/TS 12901-2:2014, providing updated guidelines for applying a control banding approach to manage occupational exposure risks associated with engineered nano-objects and their aggregates/agglomerates (NOAA). Control banding aims to minimize exposure levels and safeguard worker health against potential adverse effects from nanoparticles. Designed specifically for inhalation risk mitigation, this pragmatic framework offers structured control strategies for research facilities and industrial manufacturers handling NOAA across their lifecycle, even when precise toxicity data and quantitative exposure metrics are limited or unavailable.

Key Points

✓ Purpose: Establishes a practical control banding strategy to protect worker health by preventing airborne exposure to engineered nanomaterials.

✓ Target Materials: Applies to intentionally produced nano-objects—including nanoparticles, nanopowders, nanofibers, nanotubes, and nanowires—as well as their aggregates and agglomerates (NOAA), whether raw or released during processing.

✓ Core Focus: Optimized primarily for inhalation exposure control, with supplemental guidance for dermal and eye protection referenced in ISO/TS 12901-1.

✓ Pragmatic Implementation: Provides businesses and research organizations handling NOAA with an easy-to-understand, practical approach to controlling workplace exposures.