Workplace exposure to engineered nanoparticles

Area of Science:

• Occupational health and safety
• Materials science
• Environmental monitoring

Background:

• Nanostructured materials are increasingly used in various industries.
• Assessing potential workplace exposure to nanoparticles is crucial for worker safety.
• Existing measurement strategies may not fully differentiate between ambient and process-generated nanoparticles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present measurement strategies and results from workplaces handling nanostructured materials.
• To evaluate nanoparticle exposure during the manufacturing and processing of specific nanomaterials.
• To develop a robust measurement approach considering ambient air and process emissions.

Main Methods:

• Measurements conducted in research labs and small-scale production facilities.
• Utilized scanning mobility particle sizers (Grimm) and concentration particle counters (TSI).
• Developed a strategy including ambient air monitoring and electron microscopy for agglomerate analysis and chemical composition.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated measurement results for TiO(2), nanofibers, ceramic nanopowders, and electrical industry nanostructured materials.
• Presented mean number concentrations of nanoparticles.
• Electron microscopy detected some particle agglomerates, despite no significant increase in overall nanoparticle numbers under proper handling.

Conclusions:

• Proper handling (e.g., closed systems, extractor hoods) minimizes nanoparticle release during routine operations.
• Nanostructured materials may be primarily released during non-routine activities like cleaning, maintenance, or operational failures.
• Further investigation into release during specific non-routine tasks is warranted.