On the experimental approaches for the assessment of the releaseof engineered nanomaterials from nanocomposites by physicaldegradation processes

Abstract

The LIFE+ Project SIRENA, Simulation of the release of nanomaterialsfrom consumer products for environmental exposure assessment, (LIFE11ENV/ES/596) has set up a Technological Surveillance System (TSS) to trace technicalreferences at worldwide level related to nanocomposites and the release fromnanocomposites. So far a total of seventy three items of different nature (from peerreviewed articles to presentations and contributions to congresses) have been selectedand classified as "nanomaterials release simulation technologies". In presentdocument, different approaches for the simulation of different life cycle stages throughthe physical degradation of polymer nanocomposites at laboratory scale are assessed.In absence of a reference methodology, the comparison of the different protocols usedstill remains a challenge.