Workers handling nanomaterials are most exposed to any potential health hazards, but most companies are aware of the risks and take steps to contain them, insurance and legal sources say.

“The people most at risk are the people on the front lines,” said Catherine Morris Krow, a partner with Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe L.L.P. in San Francisco. But occupational safety and health practices have come a long way since the early days of asbestos, she said.

“We're much better at protecting workers now than we were then,” she said.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has published recommended safe practices for working with nanomaterials in research labs, and risk management experts advise the same steps for the nanotech industry. They include:

• Enclosing processes involving nanomaterials to isolate workers from them as much as possible.

• General exhaust ventilation systems and local vented enclosures where needed.

• Personal protective equipment, including protective clothing and respirators.

Some companies handling nanomaterials already are in high-tech industries and are familiar with managing clean environments, said Peter Dion, product liability line of business director for Zurich North America in Schaumburg, Ill.

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Many nanotech companies are small startups with 50 or fewer employees, and some small, thinly capitalized firms may be less able to invest in the safety equipment larger companies do, said John C. Monica Jr., a partner with Porter Wright Morris & Arthur L.L.P. in Washington.

“Those are the ones you have to worry about. Big companies are usually well on top of the issue,” he said.

Even at small companies, though, “there's a very high level of knowledge” about the need for worker safety, especially in cases where venture capital investors are keeping an eye on operations, Mr. Monica said. “I think the word's gotten out there.”

Meanwhile, although most of the attention to nanotech risks has been on potential liabilities, the industry also presents property risks, including the risk of a nanoparticle spill that contaminates a manufacturing facility.

Such an accident “could significantly affect business continuity for lots of industries,” said Louis Gritzo, vice president and manager of research with FM Global in Johnston, R.I.

While many processes using nanomaterials take place in ventilated enclosures, “a big release of large quantities (of particles) is a risk we want to make sure doesn't bring business to a screeching halt.”

FM Global engineers are working with clients on systems that will filter suspended nanoparticles out of the air, he said. The insurer also is identifying solvents that are effective at removing particles from surfaces, and has found one — sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate — that works well in picking up carbon nanotubes from smooth surfaces.

The next step is testing its effectiveness on rougher surfaces, he said.