Title
Understanding workers' exposure: Systematic review and data-analysis of emission potential for NOAA
Author
Kuijpers, E.
Bekker, C.
Brouwer, D.
le Feber, M.
Fransman, W.
Publication year
2017
Abstract
Exposure assessment for nano-objects, and their aggregates and agglomerates (NOAA), has evolved from explorative research toward more comprehensive exposure assessment, providing data to further develop currently used conservative control banding (CB) tools for risk assessment. This study aims to provide an overview of current knowledge on emission potential of NOAA across the occupational life cycle stages by a systematic review and subsequently use the results in a data analysis. Relevant parameters that influence emission were collected from peer-reviewed literature with a focus on the four source domains (SD) in the source-receptor conceptual framework for NOAA. To make the reviewed exposure data comparable, we applied an approach to normalize for workplace circumstances and measurement location, resulting in comparable "surrogate" emission levels. Finally, descriptive statistics were performed. During the synthesis of nanoparticles (SD1), mechanical reduction and gas phase synthesis resulted in the highest emission compared to wet chemistry and chemical vapor condensation. For the handling and transfer of bulk manufactured nanomaterial powders (SD2) the emission could be differentiated for five activity classes: (1) harvesting; (2) dumping; (3); mixing; (4) cleaning of a reactor; and (5) transferring. Additionally, SD2 was subdivided by the handled amount with cleaning further subdivided by energy level. Harvesting and dumping resulted in the highest emissions. Regarding processes with liquids (SD3b), it was possible to distinguish emissions for spraying (propellant gas, (high) pressure and pump), sonication and brushing/rolling. The highest emissions observed in SD3b were for propellant gas spraying and pressure spraying. The highest emissions for the handling of nano-articles (SD4) were found to nano-sized particles (including NOAA) for grinding. This study provides a valuable overview of emission assessments performed in the workplace during the occupational handling of NOAA. Analyses were made per source domain to derive emission levels which can be used for models to quantitatively predict the exposure.
Subject
Life
RAPID - Risk Analysis for Products in Development
ELSS - Earth, Life and Social Sciences
Work and Employment
Workplace
Healthy Living
Data-analyses
Emission potential
NOAA
Nanomaterial
Procedures
Environmental Monitoring
Nanostructures
Occupational Exposure
Occupational Health
Workplace
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:4cc63cb9-ea0b-474c-bec2-7dbe97397426
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/15459624.2016.1252843
TNO identifier
781358
ISSN
1545-9632
Source
Journal of occupational and environmental hygiene, 14 (5), 349-359
Document type
article