Article published Nanoparticles
Correct detection for improved protection
In light of the precautionary principle, CEA LITEN is committed to the characterisation of personal and collective protective equipment against artificial nanoparticles. It has developed test benches, which could be used by industrial players manufacturing or using these types of products.
Tyres, paint, sun cream, cosmetics... nanoparticles are omnipresent in everyday life. Thus, in the absence of reliable toxicological data, it is important to anticipate any potential risks by ensuring that exposure to these materials is a low as possible.
As part of the Nanosafe2 project, which it is coordinating at a European level, and with a view to providing the best possible working conditions to its employees, CEA has developed test benches to assess the efficiency of individual (masks, gloves, overalls, etc.) and collective (filters) equipment used to protect against nanoparticles.
Facilities developed include production methods for test nanoparticles (graphite, titanium oxide, platinum, etc.) and SMPS (Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer) type measuring methods. "Nanoparticules are sorted according to their electric mobility, which is directly related to their size, and then detected by light diffusion after enlargement up to 1 micron by condensation of a saturating vapour on their surface," explains Luana Golanski, LITEN researcher. In practice, the test benches developed are used to detect particles up to 10 nm but researchers are striving to qualify the method to reach the nanometer scale, with a view to becoming the national reference centre for nanotechnology safety.
The results obtained show that, in accordance with the filtering theory, the filters present better performances for nanoparticles than for the larger particles. Generally speaking, gloves provide highly effective protection against nanoaerosols. With regards to protective clothing, the best performances are obtained with airtight disposable clothes. In contrast, clothes made from synthetic fabrics and cotton are not particularly effective.
In parallel, LITEN offers a bench used to measure and qualify the release of nanoparticles into the environment by nanomaterials. Two pieces of nanomaterial to be tested are rubbed against one another in a confined space, the quantity of any nanoparticles released is measured by the method previously described. "Ultimately this will make it possible to better optimise the adhesion of nanocharges during the design of these materials and, by demonstrating the lack of release of single nanoparticles, it will, in turn, facilitate their marketing process," explains François Tardif, head of the LITEN Tracer Technology Laboratory.
