Occupational Exposure and Environmental Release : The Case Study of Pouring TiO2 and Filler Materials for Paint Production

Pulmonary exposure to micro- and nanoscaled particles has been widely linked to adverse health effects and high concentrations of respirable particles are expected to occur within and around many industrial settings. In this study, a field-measurement campaign was performed at an industrial manufacturer, during the production of paints. Spatial and personal measurements were conducted and results were used to estimate the mass flows in the facility and the airborne particle release to the outdoor environment. Airborne particle number concentration (1 x 10(3)-1.0 x 10(4) cm(-3)), respirable mass (0.06-0.6 mg m(-3)), and PM10 (0.3-6.5 mg m(-3)) were measured during pouring activities. In overall; emissions from pouring activities were found to be dominated by coarser particles >300 nm. Even though the raw materials were not identified as nanomaterials by the manufacturers, handling of TiO2 and clays resulted in release of nanometric particles to both workplace air and outdoor environment, which was confirmed by TEM analysis of indoor and stack emission samples. During the measurement period, none of the existing exposure limits in force were exceeded. Particle release to the outdoor environment varied from 6 to 20 g ton(-1) at concentrations between 0.6 and 9.7 mg m(-3) of total suspended dust depending on the powder. The estimated release of TiO2 to outdoors was 0.9 kg per year. Particle release to the environment is not expected to cause any major impact due to atmospheric dilutionPeer reviewe

Synthetic Amorphous Silicon Dioxide (NM-200, NM-201, NM-202, NM-203, NM-204): Characterisation and Physico-Chemical Properties

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) provides scientific support to European Union policy including nanotechnology. Within this context, the JRC launched, in February 2011, a repository for Representative Test Materials (RTMs), based on preparatory work started in 2008. It supports both EU and international research projects, and especially the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN). The WPMN leads an exploratory testing programme "Testing a Representative set of Manufactured Nanomaterials" for the development and collection of data on characterisation, toxicological and ecotoxicological properties, as well as risk assessment and safety evaluation of nanomaterials. The purpose is to understand the applicability of the OECD Test Guidelines for the testing of nanomaterials as well as end-points relevant for such materials. The Repository responds to a need for nanosafety research purposes: availability of nanomaterial from a single production batch to enhance the comparability of results between different research laboratories and projects. The availability of representative nanomaterials to the international scientific community furthermore enhances and enables development of safe materials and products. The present report presents the physico-chemical characterisation of the synthetic amorphous silicon dioxide (SiO2, SAS) from the JRC repository: NM-200, NM-201, NM-202, NM-203 and NM-204. NM-200 was selected as principal material for the OECD test programme "Testing a representative set of manufactured nanomaterials". NM-200, NM-201 and NM-204 (precipitated SAS) are produced via the precipitation process, whereas NM-202 and NM-203 (fumed or pyrogenic SAS) are produced via a high temperature process. Each of these NMs originates from one respective batch of commercially manufactured SAS. They are nanostructured, i.e. they consist of aggregated primary particles. The SAS NMs may be used as a representative material in the measurement and testing with regard to hazard identification, risk and exposure assessment studies. The results for more than 15 endpoints are addressed in the present report, including physical-chemical properties, such as size and size distribution, crystallite size and electron microscopy images. Sample and test item preparation procedures are addressed. The results are based on studies by several European laboratories participating to the NANOGENOTOX Joint Action, as well as the JRC.JRC.I.4-Nanobioscience

Titanium Dioxide, NM-100, NM-101, NM-102, NM-103, NM-104, NM-105: Characterisation and Physico-Chemical Properties

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) provides scientific support to European Union policy including nanotechnology. Within this context, the JRC launched, in February 2011, a repository for Representative Test Materials (RTMs), based on preparatory work started in 2008. It supports both EU and international research projects, and especially the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN). The WPMN leads an exploratory testing programme "Testing a Representative set of Manufactured Nanomaterials" for the development and collection of data on characterisation, toxicological and ecotoxicological properties, as well as risk assessment and safety evaluation of nanomaterials. The purpose is to understand the applicability of the OECD Test Guidelines for the testing of nanomaterials as well as end-points relevant for such materials. The Repository responds to a need for nanosafety research purposes: availability of nanomaterial from a single production batch to enhance the comparability of results between different research laboratories and projects. The availability of representative nanomaterials to the international scientific community furthermore enhances and enables development of safe materials and products. The present report presents the physico-chemical characterisation of the Titanium dioxide series from the JRC repository: NM-100, NM-101, NM-102, NM-103, NM-104 and NM-105. NM-105 was selected as principal material for the OECD test programme "Testing a representative set of manufactured nanomaterials". NM-100 is included in the series as a bulk comparator. Each of these NMs originates from one batch of commercially manufactured TiO2. The TiO2 NMs may be used as representative material in the measurement and testing with regard to hazard identification, risk and exposure assessment studies. The results for more than 15 endpoints are addressed in the present report, including physico-chemical properties, such as size and size distribution, crystallite size and electron microscopy images. Sample and test item preparation procedures are addressed. The results are based on studies by several European laboratories participating to the NANOGENOTOX Joint Action, as well as by the JRC.JRC.I.4-Nanobioscience