Exposure and emissions monitoring during carbon nanofiber production - part I: elemental carbon and iron-soot aerosols

Details

• Personal Author:
  Birch, M. Eileen ; Evans DE ; Ku B-K ; Ruda-Eberenz TA
• Description:
  Production of carbon nanofibers and nanotubes (CNFs/CNTs) and their composite products is increasing globally. High volume production may increase the exposure risks for workers who handle these materials. Though health effects data for CNFs/CNTs are limited, some studies raise serious health concerns. Given the uncertainty about their potential hazards, there is an immediate need for toxicity data and field studies to assess exposure to CNFs/CNTs. An extensive study was conducted at a facility that manufactures and processes CNFs. Filter, sorbent, cascade impactor, bulk, and microscopy samples, combined with direct-reading instruments, provided complementary information on air contaminants. Samples were analyzed for organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC), metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), with EC as a measure of CNFs. Transmission electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy also was applied. Fine/ultrafine iron-rich soot, PAHs, and carbon monoxide were production byproducts. Direct-reading instrument results were reported previously [Evans DE et al. (Aerosol monitoring during carbon nanofiber production: mobile direct-reading sampling. Ann Occup Hyg 2010;54:514-31.)]. Results for time-integrated samples are reported as companion papers in this issue. OC and EC, metals, and microscopy results are reported here, in Part I, while results for PAHs are reported in Part II (Birch, this Issue). Respirable EC area concentrations inside the facility were about 6-68 times higher than outdoors, while personal breathing zone samples were up to 170 times higher. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Environmental Exposure Environmental Monitoring Hazardous Substances Hydrocarbons Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Metals Occupational Health Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Risk Assessment Safety Spectrum Analysis

  More +
• Keywords:
  Air-contamination Air-sampling Air-sampling-equipment Author Keywords: Carbon Nanofiber Biological-effects Elemental Carbon Hazardous-materials Industrial-exposures Industrial-hazards Microscopy Nanofibers Nanomaterial Nanotechnology Nanotube Nanotubes Occupational Exposure Polycyclic-aromatic-hydrocarbons Risk-analysis Sampling Sampling-equipment Sampling-methods Spectrographic-analysis Spectroscopes Toxic-effects Toxic-materials Ultrafine Ultrafine-particles

  More +
• ISSN:
  0003-4878
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  55
• Issue:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20039794
• Citation:
  Ann Occup Hyg 2011 Nov; 55(9):1016-1036
• Contact Point Address:
  M. Eileen Birch, Division of Applied Research and Technology, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 4676 Columbia Parkway, MS-R5, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
• Email:
  mib2@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon (CAS RN 7440-44-0) ; Iron (CAS RN 7439-89-6)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of Occupational Hygiene
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4c58ec1c4d5659cd313c1ac2e0cac720529bcada73445a38a6697db368ec7c791b0edd8712d9c53590df713a9165d56d3ad9f0d03942270784d795b057ec53bb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/192891/cdc_192891_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.77 MB ]