Nanoscale titanium dioxide, the need for an occupational exposure limit value

Currently, in France, no Occupational Exposure Limit (OEL) value has been determined for nanoscale titanium dioxide. this is not so in the United States, where the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has, since 2011, been recommending an OEL of 0.3 mg/m3 for the ultrafine fraction of titanium dioxide aerosols with an additional risk of cancer of 1/1 000. Fine analysis of that work and of other works conducted in Europe and Japan shows that that value, the case for which is well argued, can be used a basis for work contributing to establishing a future French OEL value for nanoscale titanium dioxide. An occupational exposure measurement method that is associated with that value and that applies, a priori, to any situation that can be encountered in industry or in the laboratory is recommended.