Measuring Occupational Exposure to Engineered Nanomaterials Silicon Dioxide and Titanium Dioxide

The study measured occupational exposure to engineered nanomaterials, silicon dioxide, and titanium dioxide, used in a liquid spraying process to develop hydrophobic coatings on metals and glass sheets inside an academic research laboratory. The study measured the total number of airborne particle concentrations, mass concentrations in personal breathing zones, and the surface contamination of silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide. The study is motivated by the limited application and replication of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Nanomaterial Exposure Assessment Technique (NEAT) 2.0. The study replicated NEAT 2.0, measured occupational exposure to engineered nanomaterials, and evaluated NEAT 2.0 for improvements and limitations. The results showed that personal breathing zone sampling might not detect occupational exposure in experiments with small mass quantities of engineered nanomaterials. Surface wipe sampling, which is not required for NEAT 2.0, found the most significant amount of potential occupational exposure to researchers inside the laboratory. The study concludes that NEAT 2.0 is a comprehensive exposure assessment that can be modified and adapted to work in academic laboratories. The results indicate that a modified NEAT 2.0 with the mandatory addition of surface wipe sampling allows for a more thorough approach to measuring occupational exposure to engineered nanomaterials and nanoparticles in academic laboratories.