Development of Evaluating Method for Airborne Manufactured-Nanomaterials in Work Environment

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Nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes and fullerenes have many beneficial characteristics as industrial materials, but also have risk on exposure to these nanomaterials. For safe production and handling of these nanomaterials, it is important to conduct a risk assessment that includes hazard assessment and exposure assessment. As part of the exposure assessment, we conducted experiments to qualify and quantify carbonaceous nanomaterials using an aerosol carbon analyzer. Several types of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and other carbonaceous nanomaterials, such as single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), and ambient particulate matter were analyzed by this method on the basis of the elemental carbon (EC) concentration. Respirable dust is sampled using a Sioutas cascade impactor (SCI) for a certain volume of workplace air. The SCI can collect size-segregated particles having 5 kinds of aerodynamic diameters. EC in sampled particles are determined by the carbon analysis. The validity of this method was also confirmed by data of real work environment.