[Measurements of exposure to airborne nanomaterials: preliminary study in workplaces]

Misure di esposizione a nanomateriali aerodispersi: studio preliminare in ambienti di lavoro

Although the debate among the scientific community is still open to identify the parameters which better represent engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) toxicity, numerous methodological approaches to assess workers exposure to airborne ENMs have been proposed. The measurement of exposure to ENMs is a critical step in the analysis of the potential risks for workers and the distinction of engineered nano-objects from the background is highly important to understand the contribution of specific sources. In 2015, OECD reviewed the major published strategies and promoted a harmonized three-tiered approach to measure and assess the airborne exposure to engineered nano-objects in the workplace, with the aim also to balance costs and effectiveness of investigation efforts. In this framework this study proposes the preliminary results of occupational exposure measurements conducted in both industrial and laboratory workplaces in which different types of nanmaterials were used. The results of this study will be useful to validate the proposed exposure measurement strategy.