A Study of Protective Clothing to Prevent Nanoparticle Exposure and Surface Contamination

防止纳米粒子暴露和表面污染的防护服的研究 首席调查员： Candace Su-jung Tsai，SC.D.，科罗拉多州工业卫生与环境健康助理教授 普渡大学伯克纳米技术中心教员 调查人员： 李燕，博士，科罗拉多州立大学纤维科学助理教授 罗恩·赖芬伯格博士，普渡大学凯文·霍尔纳米计量学实验室主任，物理学教授 大学 项目总结 纳米技术中新应用的激增突显了保护研究人员在 实验室和生产设施中的工人通过皮肤暴露于工程纳米颗粒(ENPs) 接触或吸入。穿着受污染衣服的工人吸入从 那件衣服根本没有意识到潜在的危险。我们最近记录了重要的 从实验室衣物中释放金属氧化物ENPs，并强调了对需要 更好地了解与职场着装中的ENP暴露相关的因素。重要的是，当你离开时 实验室/生产线、研究人员和工人没有意识到可能的ENP接触来自 他们带回办公室、家中或公共场所的受污染的衣服。这件受污染的衣服也 在这些工作场所以外的环境中，对非工作人员构成重大风险。这一点在 例如，过去接触受污染衣服上的石棉纤维曾导致许多工人和 非工人患上与石棉有关的疾病。令人担忧的是，ENPs的大小是1/10到1/100 石棉颗粒。因此，暴露的ENPs的数量可能比这样的微米多1000英镑。 石棉纤维，然而它们仍然是肉眼看不见的。这项研究的目标是解决关键知识 我们对实验室防护服的ENP污染的认识上的差距，并找出防止的方法 把问题降到最低。 为了实现这一目标，该项目将研究主要防护服的污染倾向。 临床上显著的ENPs以及随后接触到的个人的潜在风险 与这些布料接触。我们的研究将集中在ENP与织物相互作用的关键机制方面，如 作为机械力和电荷。ENP黏附和释放的定量评价 受污染的衣物将使我们能够确定最佳的织物特征，以防止有毒的ENPs。 重要的是，我们将使用新的采样技术和最先进的技术，包括直读空气 监测仪器，一个拥有专利改装的纳米颗粒取样器，我们做了改进 性能，以及为收集纳米颗粒以确定曝光量而设计的热沉淀器，以及 先进的显微分析-包括原子力显微镜(AFM)来研究机械力 以及与ENP-织物相互作用相关的电荷。实际上，我们将使用等离子体表面处理 对织物纤维表面进行功能化处理，以改善表面性能。

A Study of Protective Clothing to Prevent Nanoparticle Exposure and Surface Contamination Principal Investigator: Candace Su-Jung Tsai, Sc.D., Assistant Professor of Industrial Hygiene and Environmental Health, Colorado State University, and Faculty Member at Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University Investigators: Yan Vivian Li, PhD., Assistant Professor in Fiber Science, Colorado State University Ron Reifenberger, PhD., Professor of Physics, Director of Kevin Hall Nanometrology Laboratory, Purdue University PROJECT SUMMARY The proliferation of new applications in nanotechnology has highlighted the need to protect researchers in laboratories and workers in production facilities from exposure to engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) through skin contact or inhalation. Workers wearing contaminated clothing are at high risk of inhaling ENPs released from that clothing without any awareness of the potential danger. We have recently documented the significant release of metal oxide ENPs from laboratory clothing and highlighted serious concerns regarding the need to better understand the factors associated with ENP exposure from workplace attire. Importantly, when leaving the laboratory/production line, researchers and workers are unaware of the possible ENP exposure from contaminated clothing that they bring back to the office, home or public places. This contaminated clothing also poses a significant risk to non-workers in these outside of the workplace settings. It is well documented in the past, for example, that exposure to asbestos fibers from contaminated clothing has caused many workers and non-workers to suffer from asbestos-related diseases. It is worrying to note that ENPs are 1/10 to 1/100 the size of asbestos particles. Thus, the number of exposed ENPs could be >1000 more than that of such micron asbestos fibers, yet they are still invisible to the human eye. The goal of this study is to address key knowledge gaps in our understanding of ENP contamination of laboratory protective clothing and identify ways to prevent and minimize the problem. To achieve this goal, this project will study the propensity for contamination of major protective clothing fabrics by clinically-significant ENPs as well as the potential for subsequent exposure to individuals who come into contact with these fabrics. Our study will focus on key mechanistic aspects of ENP-fabric interactions such as mechanical force and electrical charge. The quantitative assessment of ENP adhesion and release from contaminated clothing will allow us to identify optimal fabric characteristics for protection against toxic ENPs. Importantly, we will use novel sampling techniques and state of the art technologies, including direct-reading air monitoring instruments, a nanoparticle sampler possessing a proprietary modification that we made to improve performance, and a thermal precipitator designed for nanoparticle collection to determine exposure, and advanced microscopic analysis - including atomic force microscopy (AFM) to investigate the mechanical forces and electrical charges associated with ENP-fabric interactions. Practically, we will use plasma surface treatment to functionalize fabric fiber surface to improve surface properties.