Abstract
Spray coatings’ emissions impact to the environmental and occupational exposure were studied in a pilot-plant. Concentrations were measured inside the spray chamber and at the work room in Near-Field (NF) and Far-Field (FF) and mass flows were analyzed using a mechanistic model. The coating was performed in a ventilated chamber by spraying titanium dioxide doped with nitrogen (TiO2N) and silver capped by hydroxyethylcellulose (Ag-HEC) nanoparticles (NPs). Process emission rates to workplace, air, and outdoor air were characterized according to process parameters, which were used to assess emission factors. Full-scale production exposure potential was estimated under reasonable worst-case (RWC) conditions. The measured TiO2-N and Ag-HEC concentrations were 40.9 TiO2-μg/m3 and 0.4 Ag-μg/m3 at NF (total fraction). Under simulated RWC conditions with precautionary emission rate estimates, the worker’s 95th percentile 8-h exposure was ≤171 TiO2 and ≤1.9 Ag-μg/m3 (total fraction). Environmental emissions via local ventilation (LEV) exhaust were ca. 35 and 140 mg-NP/g-NP, for TiO2-N and Ag-HEC, respectively. Under current situation, the exposure was adequately controlled. However, under full scale production with continuous process workers exposure should be evaluated with personal sampling if recommended occupational exposure levels for nanosized TiO2 and Ag are followed for risk management.
Highlights
Process emissions are a point-of-departure for subsequent exposure and health effects, the quantification of them is foundational for effective risk control solutions [1,2]and communication [3]
The concentration measurements were used to characterize the process emissions from polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and textile substrates coated with titanium dioxide doped with nitrogen (TiO2 N) and silver capped by hydroxyethylcellulose (AgHEC) Nano
The fraction of NPs released to spray chamber air are escaped to the process room and further from the room ventilated to outdoor air via local exhaust ventilation (LEV)
Summary
Process emissions are a point-of-departure for subsequent exposure and health effects, the quantification of them is foundational for effective risk control solutions [1,2]and communication [3]. Nanomaterials 2022, 12, 596 parameters it is possible to optimize the process according to exposure and risk. Control banding tools are either based on the emission potential or on the exposure estimates and do not require quantitative concentration levels or emission factors [9]. This makes them less accurate while providing different hazard and exposure outputs when compared with each other and with experimental data [10,11,12]. The concentration during TiO2 N spraying processes on day 2 was 120 ± 2 and 1217 ± 1 μg/m3 at NF and inside the spray chamber, respectively Note that nitrate doping is not included in the mass concentrations
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