Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Aerosols, Dusts and Metals, Helsinki, Finland.
Nanotoxicology. 2012 Sep;6(6):643-51. doi: 10.3109/17435390.2011.600838. Epub 2011 Jul 19.
The use of nanotechnology in different fields is increasing rapidly. Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) may have adverse effect on human health, but little is known about the exposure levels of ENPs at occupational settings. In this study, exposure levels of cerium oxide (CeO(2)) ENPs were measured during enclosed flame spray process used for coating and surface modification of materials. Particle number concentration, mass concentration, and morphology and composition of the ENPs were studied. The average particle number concentration varied from 4.7·10(3) to 2.1·10(5) 1/cm(3) inside the enclosure, and from 4.6·10(3) to 1.4·10(4) 1/cm(3) outside the enclosure. The average mass concentrations inside and outside the enclosure were 320 and 66 μg/m(3), respectively. A batch-type process caused significant variation in the concentrations, especially inside the enclosure. CeO(2) ENPs were mainly chainlike aggregates, consisting of spherical 20-40 nm primary particles having crystalline structure. In conclusion, enclosure of the process with efficient ventilation seemed to be an effective means to reduce the exposure to CeO(2) ENPs as expected.
纳米技术在不同领域的应用正在迅速增加。工程纳米颗粒（ENPs）可能对人类健康产生不良影响，但对于职业环境中 ENPs 的暴露水平知之甚少。在这项研究中，测量了用于材料涂层和表面改性的封闭火焰喷涂过程中氧化铈（CeO（2））ENPs 的暴露水平。研究了颗粒数浓度、质量浓度以及 ENPs 的形态和组成。在封闭室内，平均颗粒数浓度从 4.7·10（3）变化到 2.1·10（5）1/cm（3），而在封闭室外，平均颗粒数浓度从 4.6·10（3）变化到 1.4·10（4）1/cm（3）。封闭室内和室外的平均质量浓度分别为 320 和 66μg/m（3）。批量式工艺会导致浓度发生显着变化，尤其是在封闭室内。CeO（2）ENPs 主要是由具有结晶结构的 20-40nm 球形初级颗粒组成的链式聚集体。总之，采用高效通风的封闭工艺似乎是减少 CeO（2）ENPs 暴露的有效手段。
