Issue 3, 2023

Towards a surface metric to measure the dustiness of nanomaterial powders

Abstract

The relevance of dustiness methods is increasingly recognized in the preliminary exposure evaluation of workers handling nanomaterials in powder form, and should also be transposed to the assessment of environmental risk in the future. The methods currently recommended in the European standards are mainly based on determining a mass-based dustiness index [mg kg−1], whereas surface area is regularly put forward as a more appropriate determinant to assess the pulmonary toxicity of nanoparticles. In this study, we describe an operational methodology leading us to propose a surface metric to determine the dustiness index [m2 kg−1] of nanoparticulate matter. To this end, we demonstrate the equivalence between the external specific surface area of a nanopowder and that of its aerosol with five nanomaterials produced and used on an industrial scale, and covering a range of external specific surface areas from 35 to 230 m2 g−1. Compared to the conventional mass-based dustiness index, the surface-based dustiness index (1) is more discriminating, covering an additional order of magnitude, and (2) has an impact on the powder ranking with potential consequences on the preventive measures to be implemented. Finally, our proposal has the potential to be included in future revisions of European standards for workplace exposure and dustiness measurement, provided that further experimental results on surface-based dustiness indices support these preliminary data.

Graphical abstract: Towards a surface metric to measure the dustiness of nanomaterial powders

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
10 dek 2022
Accepted
08 fev 2023
First published
08 fev 2023

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2023,25, 670-679

Towards a surface metric to measure the dustiness of nanomaterial powders

C. Dazon, S. Bau, R. Payet, V. Fierro and O. Witschger, Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2023, 25, 670 DOI: 10.1039/D2EM00514J

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements