Contribution à la caractérisation des émissions de nanomatériaux bâtimentaires

The intensive use of building nanomaterials lead to an increased risk of nanoparticle exposure. The present document aims to summarize works on nanoparticle emissions in the water, the air and the ageing effects on nanomaterial. A vast literature describes the release in the water and sometimes highlights the implicated quantities. In this case, measurements are expressed in mass concentration of chemical species. In contrast, few study deal with characterization of aerosol containing nanoparticles. Otherwise no study gives rise to the expression of a mass concentration of chemical species in aerosol. A method leading to a chemical speciation expressed as a masse concentration of airborne nanoparticles could be a clear improvement in this field and be directly used in nanotoxicology.L’usage intensif de nanomatériaux entraine un risque d’exposition accrue aux nanoparticules. Le présent document vise à résumer des travaux sur les émissions dans l’eau, l’air et les effets du vieillissement. Une abondante littérature décrit le relargage dans l’eau et met parfois en lumière les quantités en jeu. Les relargages sont fournis en concentration massique d’espèce chimique. En revanche un faible nombre d’étude est observé sur la caractérisation d’aérosols contenant des nanoparticules et aucune ne donne lieu à l’expression d’une concentration massique d’espèces chimiques contenues dans l’aérosol. Une méthode permettant une spéciation chimique de nanoparticules aérosolisées exprimée en masse pourrait être une amélioration significative et être exploitée directement en nanotoxicologie

Sanding and analysis of dust from nano-silica filled composite resins for stereolithography

The aim of this work was to assess whether with high amounts of nano-silica filled cured resins release nano-particles upon their abrasion, as this could form an occupational health risk and require specific safety measures. A standardised abrasion stress method involving a Taber linear abrasion apparatus (Model 5750) has been applied to the filled polymer samples. This linear abrasion apparatus simulates the mechanical solicitation, i.e. abrasion. Various particle size measurement techniques were applied to assess the size distribution and the quantity of particles released. Observations of airborne particle from abrasion tests are consistent with TEM characterization of the nanomaterials before any tests. Abrasions of both samples (called here ‘1’ and ‘2’) gave rise to emissions. For sample 1, a few ‘dust’ particles and micronic particles are observed. For sample 2, despite a track on the sample, no detectable micronic particles and very few ‘dust’, particles are detected. As a result, we can state there were effective abrasions which gave rise to a low emission (sample 1) and a very low emission (sample 2) under the detection limits of particle sizing and counting, for the last case. The emission of particles upon Taber test abrasion is extremely low (less than 8 particles per cm3) and for one of the samples at the level of the detection limit. Moreover, the size of these particles is generally larger than 100 nm

Particle technology as a uniform discipline? Towards a holistic approach to particles, their creation, characterisation, handling and processing!

"Can particle technology, in spite of its multiplicity, be regarded, and scientifically taught, as a uniform discipline?" wondered H. Rumpf, one of the founding fathers of particle science, in a programmatic speech which he gave 40 years ago. Given his passion for particle science, he of course answered his question with "yes". Now, 40 years later, working parties of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering, all working on particle technology, managed to organize their second joint event called 'International Conference on Processing, Handling and Characterization of Particulate Materials - PARMAT', in the framework of which this issue of CHERD was edited