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

Details

• Personal Author:
  Tsai CS-J
• Description:
  Although nanoparticles have been incorporated in a range of applications, human exposure through surface contamination remains of concern and under investigated. This is especially true in the context of industrial and research labs, where workers may become contaminated with nanoparticles. Development of appropriate personal protective equipment requires a deeper understanding of how nanoparticles interact with fabrics. Here, the contamination and resuspension behavior of Al2O3, carbon black (CB), and carbon nanotubes (CNT) with four common lab coat materials (100% cotton, 80/20 polyester/cotton blend, 100% polypropylene, and Tyvek®) is presented in this study. We investigated engineered nanoparticle (ENP) release associated with the contamination of personal protective clothing during the simulated motion of the human wearing the ENP-contaminated protective clothing and evaluated the relative ENP retention on the fabric. The release of airborne ENPs can contribute to inhalation exposure, which is the route of exposure of most concern to cause adverse health effects in the pulmonary system. The evaluation focuses on four popular fabric materials making the laboratory coats and three types of ENPs (Al2O3, carbon black and CNT) as noted above. The magnitudes of particle contamination and resuspension were investigated by measuring the number concentration increase of airborne particles in sizes of 10 nm to 10 µm and the weight changes on fabric pieces. Collected aerosol particles and contaminated fabric surfaces were further characterized for understanding particle morphology, elements, agglomeration and surface contamination status. The particle resuspension from contaminated lab coat fabric was found to vary by the type of fabric material. Cotton fabric showed the highest level of particle resuspension for all three tested ENPs. Data were evaluated to determine the dominant forces responsible for ENP adhesion on the surface of the fabric. Tyvek® fabric was determined as the best fabric for trapping Al2O3 and carbon black ENPs indicating less resuspension of particles meaning lower subsequent release, but not durable enough to wear for the long term compared with other fabrics. In addition, the viscoelastic properties shown by all the fabrics except Tyvek suggest alternate routes to a more efficient trapping of ENPs. For example, physically pressing a lab coat exposed to ENP contamination overnight might serve to more firmly embedded ENPs in the contamination layer before the lab coat is used the next day. To understand the effects of fabric weave pattern and surface chemistry on nanomaterial-fabric interactions, fabrics were treated with a C3F8 or H2O(v) plasma to alter surface wettability while maintaining bulk morphology. Changes in surface chemistry and wettability were measured using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and water contact angle (WCA) goniometry on untreated and plasma treated materials. Contamination and release of nanomaterials were quantified by monitoring the change in mass after contamination and shaking of the fabrics and using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image analysis. Overall, the lowest contamination levels arise from exposure to CNT. Plasma treatment results in differential contamination, with the H2O(v) plasma treated fabrics demonstrating the lowest CB contamination, whereas the lowest Al2O3 contamination and resuspension occurs with the C3F8 plasma treated cotton. A complex mechanism for nanoparticle interaction with fabrics involving surface chemistry, morphology, and intermolecular forces is discussed in the report. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Safety Textile Industry
• Keywords:
  Aerosol Particles Fabrics Materials Testing Morphology Nanoparticles Particle Aerodynamics Personal Protective Equipment PPE Protective Clothing Surface Properties Textiles

  More +
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Colorado ; OSHA Region 8 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-105
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069658
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R21-OH-012361, 2023 Jun; :1-105
• Contact Point Address:
  Candace Su-Jung Tsai, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, 650 Charles E. Young Drive S., MC 177220, Los Angeles, California, 90095-1735
• Email:
  candacetsai@ucla.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  University of California Los Angeles
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20201107
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20210914
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5fbb7b38132728501c0d7715b5c2c315f4894fe271f1da27edbf767cfd6efc388194e725ffad3ceea715cc1d90db6febdae7529a3abbb208757a9ac0d1e8d36c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/219252/cdc_219252_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 5.05 MB ]