Task-based exposure assessment of nanoparticles in the workplace

Although task-based sampling is, theoretically, a plausible approach to the assessment of nanoparticle exposure, few studies using this type of sampling have been published. This study characterized and compared task-based nanoparticle exposure profiles for engineered nanoparticle manufacturing workplaces (ENMW) and workplaces that generated welding fumes containing incidental nanoparticles. Two ENMW and two welding workplaces were selected for exposure assessments. Real-time devices were utilized to characterize the concentration profiles and size distributions of airborne nanoparticles. Filter-based sampling was performed to measure time-weighted average (TWA) concentrations, and off-line analysis was performed using an electron microscope. Workplace tasks were recorded by researchers to determine the concentration profiles associated with particular tasks/events. This study demonstrated that exposure profiles differ greatly in terms of concentrations and size distributions according to the task performed. The size distributions recorded during tasks were different from both those recorded during periods with no activity and from the background. The airborne concentration profiles of the nanoparticles varied according to not only the type of workplace but also the concentration metrics. The concentrations measured by surface area and the number concentrations measured by condensation particle counter, particulate matter 1.0, and TWA mass concentrations all showed a similar pattern, whereas the number concentrations measured by scanning mobility particle sizer indicated that the welding fume concentrations at one of the welding workplaces were unexpectedly higher than were those at workplaces that were engineering nanoparticles. This study suggests that a task-based exposure assessment can provide useful information regarding the exposure profiles of nanoparticles and can therefore be used as an exposure assessment tool.     

Continuous 3-day exposure assessment of workplace manufacturing silver nanoparticles

In this study we present an overview of the research activities in nanotechnology for the period 2001?C2011 for six selected countries belonging to the Organization of Islamic cooperation (OIC). The selection has been made based on the research output of these countries. The countries are Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. The factors considered are the number of publications, citations per paper, p-index, and collaborative research output. Iran with 7,795 publications and an annual growth rate of 41?% leads the group, followed by Turkey with 3,169 publications and an annual growth rate of 29?%. Turkey however, has a much better citation per paper (8.96), and p-index (63.34) as compared to Iran (4.59 and 54.36, respectively). We can classify the six countries into two categories. Those, that have a well coordinated national program in nanotechnology, namely, Iran, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia and those that do not have any national program but are still showing a reasonable good activity in nanotechnology namely Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan. A brief account of the initiatives taken by the six selected countries of OIC in the field of nanotechnology is also presented.     

Monitor for detecting and assessing exposure to airborne nanoparticles

An important safety aspect of the workplace environment concerns the severity of its air pollution with nanoparticles (NP; <100 nm) and ultrafine particles (UFP; <300 nm). Depending on their size and chemical nature, exposure to these particles through inhalation can be hazardous because of their intrinsic ability to deposit in the deep lung regions and the possibility to subsequently pass into the blood stream. Recommended safety measures in the nanomaterials industry are pragmatic, aiming at exposure minimization in general, and advocating continuous control by monitoring both the workplace air pollution level and the personal exposure to airborne NPs. This article describes the design and operation of the Aerasense NP monitor that enables intelligence gathering in particular with respect to airborne particles in the 10–300 nm size range. The NP monitor provides real time information about their number concentration, average size, and surface areas per unit volume of inhaled air that deposit in the various compartments of the respiratory tract. The monitor’s functionality relies on electrical charging of airborne particles and subsequent measurements of the total particle charge concentration under various conditions. Information obtained with the NP monitor in a typical workplace environment has been compared with simultaneously recorded data from a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) capable of measuring the particle size distribution in the 11–1086 nm size range. When the toxicological properties of the engineered and/or released particles in the workplace are known, personal exposure monitoring allows a risk assessment to be made for a worker during each workday, when the workplace-produced particles can be distinguished from other (ambient) particles.     

Model for UV induced formation of gold nanoparticles in solid polymeric matrices

UV irradiation of polymeric PMMA films containing HAuCl₄ followed by annealing at 60-80 °C forms gold nanoparticles directly within the bulk material. The kinetics of nanoparticle formation was traced by extinction spectra of nanocomposite film changes vs annealing time. We propose that UV irradiation causes HAuCl₄ dissociation and thus provides a polymeric matrix with atomic gold. The presence of an oversaturated solid solution of atomic gold in the polymeric matrix leads to Au nanoparticle formation during annealing. This process can be understood as a phase transition of the first order. In this paper we apply several common kinetic models of the phase transition for describing Au nanoparticle formation inside the solid polymer matrix. We compare predictions of these models with the experimental data and show that these models cannot describe the process. We propose that the stabilization effect of the matrix on the growing gold nanoparticles is important. The simplest model introducing some probability for the transition from growing nanoparticle to the non-growing, stabilized form is suggested. It is shown that this model satisfactorily describes the experimentally observed evolution of the extinction spectrum of Au nanoparticles forming in a polymer matrix.     

Evaluation of boron industrial solid waste in composite materials

Boron industrial solid waste is used as reinforcement for preparing composite materials. This waste has boron trioxide which holds unique properties may affect the surface or interface of the composite. The prepared composites are characterized in order to determine the dispersion and the structure by means of inverse gas chromatography (IGC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). There is a strong relation between the dispersion of reinforcement and the properties of newly formed composite. The dispersive component of the surface energies of the composites and components are determined by IGC. This parameter is difficult to measure by other methods and it is related to the wettability and adhesive characters of solid materials. The effect of compounding ratios of reinforcement is also examined. Furthermore, XRD diffractograms and SEM images of composites showed well dispersion. Thermal analysis revealed that the addition of the boron industrial solid waste to the polymer increased the thermal stability of pure polymer. Infrared spectra of the composites indicated that the composites were formed from the waste reinforcement and the polymer matrix.     

Silver nanoparticles on amidoxime fibers for photo-catalytic degradation of organic dyes in waste water

Herein we report that a new photo-catalyst of silver nanoparticles attached on the surface of amidoxime fibers was developed and evaluated. The nanoparticles had different sizes from tens to hundreds of nanometers and varied shapes of cube, plate, and sphere; and there were coordination interactions between the nanoparticles and the amidoxime fibers. The developed photo-catalyst demonstrated high activities for degradation of an organic dye of methyl orange, particularly under sunlight; and the catalyst could be re-activated for several times by simple tetrahydrofuran treatment. The results also suggested that the silver nanoparticles initiated and/or mediated the photo-oxidation reaction of methyl orange through localized surface plasmon resonance under sunlight, and the photo-catalytic activities were primarily determined by sizes and/or surface-to-mass ratios instead of shapes of the silver nanoparticles.     

Sonolysis and ozonation as pretreatment for anaerobic digestion of solid organic waste

This study aims to compare the efficiency of sonolysis and ozonation in improving anaerobic biodegradability of source sorted organic fraction of municipal solid waste, for the enhancing of biogas production and energy recovery as well. The methane yield of solid organic material anaerobic digestion is significantly affected by substrate availability, which can be favoured by pretreatments. In this investigation, both sonolysis and ozonation effects on substrate solubilisation and anaerobic biodegradability were evaluated under different treatment conditions. Results show that both pretreatments can significantly improve the solubilisation of organic solid waste. However, during ozonation experiments, no correlation was observed between increased solubilisation and biogas production: the application of higher ozone doses led to the formation of by-products less biodegradable than untreated substrate. This evidence makes the ultrasound process more efficient than ozonation and addresses further studies for sonolysis optimisation as pretreatment for solid waste anaerobic digestion.     

Simplified pregnant woman models for the fetus exposure assessment

In this paper, we introduce a study that we carried out in order to validate the use of a simplified pregnant woman model for the assessment of the fetus exposure to radio frequency waves. This simplified model, based on the use of a homogeneous tissue to replace most of the inner organs of the virtual mother, would allow us to deal with many issues that are raised because of the lack of pregnant woman models for numerical dosimetry. Using specific absorption rate comparisons, we show that this model could be used to estimate the fetus exposure to plane waves.     

A life cycle framework for the investigation of environmentally benign nanoparticles and products

While significant advances in our understanding of the behavior of engineered nanoparticles in the environment continue, there remains a need to engage the nanoparticle research community directly in the development and evaluation of environmentally benign nanoparticles to ensure that nanomaterial‐based industries emerge as tools for sustainability rather than environmental liabilities. Current research efforts aimed at understanding the environmental implications of nanotechnology emphasize existing groups of nanoparticles and products already in commercial distribution. While this is clearly necessary, this approach fails to identify and address the many tradeoffs associated with product performance and environmental quality. We believe this to be a critical gap in the ongoing exploration of nanostructured materials and their properties and applications. We posit that a number of issues are not being holistically addressed, including resource availability and allocation, manufacturing energy requirements and embodied energy, material efficiency, environmental properties of nanomaterials and nanoproducts, and waste generation. An interdisciplinary approach to research, based on the life cycle paradigm and devoted to the identification, investigation, synthesis, testing, and analysis of groups of new, more environmentally conscious nanoparticles is needed. (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

共沉淀富集火焰原子吸收光谱法法测定固体弃物磷石膏中痕量镉

用ＣｕＳ作捕集沉淀剂共沉淀富集分离磷石膏中痕量Ｃｄ,研究了最佳沉淀条件,对溶液共沉淀酸度,沉淀试剂用量进行了讨论。平行６次测定Ｃｄ含量为０．０４４μｇ／ｇ的磷石膏样品,相对标准偏差为７．７９％,加标回收率在８８％￣１１０％之间。     

Nonlinear optical characteristics of nanoparticles in suspensions and solid matrices

The study of the nonlinear optical parameters of suspensions and glass matrices doped with various nanoparticles (Ag, Cu, Co, Au, Pt, GaAs, CdS, As₂S₃) are presented. Various techniques for the preparation of nanoparticles in suspensions and solid matrices, in particular laser ablation, chemical methods, and ion implantation are discussed. We present our measurements of the nonlinear refractive indices, nonlinear absorption coefficients, saturation intensities, and nonlinear susceptibilities of nanoparticles-containing media using laser pulses generating in various spectral and temporal ranges. PACS 42.65.An; 42.65.Hw; 42.65.Jx; 61.46.Df; 78.67.Bf     

Synthesis and sintering of a monazite-brabantite solid solution ceramic for nuclear waste storage

Various geological arguments suggest that monazite can be an interesting waste-form for actinides such as Np, Pu, Cm and Am. We set up a simple procedure for making dense pellets of monazite-brabantite solid-solution ceramics with composition Ca_0.092Th_0.092Ce_0.089La_0.727PO₄. It consists of co-milling CaCO₃, ThO₂, CeO₂, La₂O₃, and NH₄H₂PO₄, 1250 °C calcination, milling, cold-pressing, and sintering at 1450 °C for 4 h. X-ray investigations showed that the reaction scheme from oxides to monazite is complex and involves various P+La-based intermediate compounds. The final density of the the product is around 95% of the theoretical density. The texture is homogeneous with a typical grain of size 5-20 μm. This process is designed to be adapted to hot cells and telemanipulators.     

Relevance of aerosol dynamics and dustiness for personal exposure to manufactured nanoparticles

Production and handling of manufactured nanoparticles (MNP) may result in unwanted worker exposure. The size distribution and structure of MNP in the breathing zone of workers will differ from the primary MNP produced. Homogeneous coagulation, scavenging by background aerosols, and surface deposition losses are determinants of this change during transport from source to the breathing zone, and to a degree depending on the relative time scale of these processes. Modeling and experimental studies suggest that in MNP production scenarios, workers are most likely exposed to MNP agglomerates or MNP attached to other particles. Surfaces can become contaminated by MNP, which constitute potential secondary sources of airborne MNP-containing particles. Dustiness testing can provide insight into the state of agglomeration of particles released during handling of bulk MNP powder. Test results, supported by field data, suggest that the particles released from powder handling occur in distinct size modes and that the smallest mode can be expected to have a geometric mean diameter >100 nm. The dominating presence of MNP agglomerates or MNP attached to background particles in the air during production and use of MNP implies that size alone cannot, in general, be used to demonstrate presence or absence of MNP in the breathing zone of workers. The entire respirable size fraction should be assessed for risk from inhalation exposure to MNP.     

Health risk assessment for nanoparticles: A case for using expert judgment

Uncertainties in conventional quantitative risk assessment typically relate to values of parameters in risk models. For many environmental contaminants, there is a lack of sufficient information about multiple components of the risk assessment framework. In such cases, the use of default assumptions and extrapolations to fill in the data gaps is a common practice. Nanoparticle risks, however, pose a new form of risk assessment challenge. Besides a lack of data, there is deep scientific uncertainty regarding every aspect of the risk assessment framework: (a) particle characteristics that may affect toxicity; (b) their fate and transport through the environment; (c) the routes of exposure and the metrics by which exposure ought to be measured; (d) the mechanisms of translocation to different parts of the body; and (e) the mechanisms of toxicity and disease. In each of these areas, there are multiple and competing models and hypotheses. These are not merely parametric uncertainties but uncertainties about the choice of the causal mechanisms themselves and the proper model variables to be used, i.e., structural uncertainties. While these uncertainties exist for PM2.5 as well, risk assessment for PM2.5 has avoided dealing with these issues because of a plethora of epidemiological studies. However, such studies don’t exist for the case of nanoparticles. Even if such studies are done in the future, they will be very specific to a particular type of engineered nanoparticle and not generalizable to other nanoparticles. Therefore, risk assessment for nanoparticles will have to deal with the various uncertainties that were avoided in the case of PM2.5. Consequently, uncertainties in estimating risks due to nanoparticle exposures may be characterized as ‘extreme’. This paper proposes a methodology by which risk analysts can cope with such extreme uncertainty. One way to make these problems analytically tractable is to use expert judgment approaches to study the degree of consensus and/or disagreement between experts on different parts of the exposure–response paradigm. This can be done by eliciting judgments from a wide range of experts on different parts of the risk causal chain. We also use examples to illustrate how studying expert consensus/disagreement helps in research prioritization and budget allocation exercises. The expert elicitation can be repeated over the course of several years, over which time, the state of scientific knowledge will also improve and uncertainties may possibly reduce. Results from expert the elicitation exercise can be used by risk managers or managers of funding agencies as a tool for research prioritization.     

Characterization of exposure to silver nanoparticles in a manufacturing facility

An assessment of the extent of exposure to nanomaterials in the workplace will be helpful in improving the occupational safety of workers. It is essential that the exposure data in the workplace are concerned with risk management to evaluate and reduce worker exposure. In a manufacturing facility dealing with nanomaterials, some exposure data for gas-phase reactions are available, but much less information is available regarding liquid-phase reactions. Although the potential for inhaling nanomaterials in a liquid-phase process is less than that for gas-phase, the risks of exposure during wet-chemistry processes are not negligible. In this study, we monitored and analyzed the exposure characteristics of silver nanoparticles during a liquid-phase process in a commercial production facility. Based on the measured exposure data, the source of Ag nanoparticles emitted during the production processes was indentified and a mechanism for the growth of Ag nanoparticle released is proposed. The data reported in this study could be used to establish occupational safety guidelines in the nanotechnology workplace, especially in a liquid-phase production facility.     

Transferrin-tailored solid lipid nanoparticles as vectors for site-specific delivery of temozolomide to brain

Journal of Nanoparticle Research - A sunlight irradiation strategy was developed for the synthesis of concave gold nanoplates in the presence of polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDDA) as the...     

中国垃圾的资源化利用

垃圾处理的要求是无害化、减量化和资源化.中国垃圾具有水分高、热值低、品质差的特点.文章分析了中国垃圾无害化、减量化和资源化的状况、优缺点,指出了资源化的目标和未来的发展方向,并讨论了相关国家政策的配套支持问题.     

中国垃圾的资源化利用

垃圾处理的要求是无害化、减量化和资源化.中国垃圾具有水分高、热值低、品质差的特点.文章分析了中国垃圾无害化、减量化和资源化的状况、优缺点,指出了资源化的目标和未来的发展方向,并讨论了相关国家政策的配套支持问题.