Nanomaterials Life Cycle Analysis: Health and Safety Practices, Standards and Regulations – Past, Present and Future Perspective

Development of CNC prototype for the characterization of the nanoparticle release during physical manipulation of nanocomposites

“…[1] However, during its life-cycle, a nanotechnology-based product can release nano-sized particles exposing workers (including researchers), consumers and environment to potential risks. [2] The impact of these risks is not well known, [3][4][5] and specific legislation and regulation around the world in relation to chemicals and environmental protection does not cover this type of materials. [6,7] Recently, researchers have investigated the release of nanoparticles in different mechanical stress situations such as shredding, drilling, sanding, and abrasion of nanocomposites.…”

“…The current work, which is linked to SIRENA project [15] , contributes to a better understanding of potential exposure. [16] Some of the challenges involved in this area were brought to the fore by Gendre et al [2] , namely 1. a complete analysis of all the possible exposure scenarios is necessary 2. no standardized method exists to measure and characterize nanoparticles released during mechanical stress situations 3. the equipment used in order to estimate the quantity of nanoparticles released in the air can be a source of error for accurate measurement 4. background noises were often reported as a source of variability.…”