Fedele, Mauro (2022) Occupational exposure to ultrafineparticles and engineered nanoparticles. [Tesi di dottorato]

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Abstract

Concerning the exposure to both ultrafine particles and engineered nanoparticles in occupational settings, only preliminary and fragmented data are available. In general, the elemental metal content of metal-based nanomaterials have been used in biological monitoring analyses. As concerns engineered nanoparticles, Silver, Indium and Molibdenum content, in blood and urine samples, have been determined in workers exposed to such metals at the nanoscale (Lee et al. 2012, 2015; Liu et al. 2012). The presence of ≥ 100 nm sized TiO2-crystals in the exhaled breath condensate (EBC) samples collected from TiO2-NP production workers could be determined in one study carried out by Pelclova and co-workers in 2015. Regarding ultrafine particle exposure, in airport workers, exposed to incidental ultrafine particles generated by jet engines (mean particle size of 17.7 nm), particles, of around 500 nm, primarily composed of Chromium, Cadmium and Aluminum were detected in the EBC (Marie-Desvergne et al. 2016). In this scenario, aims of the present research were to assess, via biological monitoring, the exposure of workers through an innovative analytical protocol using the Single Particle Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS). In particular, our scope was to assess: - The number concentration and size of metal-oxide based ultrafine particles, Chromium(III) oxide (Cr2O3), Manganese(II,III) oxide (Mn3O4) and nickel oxide (NiO) NPs in different biological matrices (EBC, plasma and urine) of welders of two Italian Companies (A and B); - The number concentration and size of engineered nanoparticles in blood and urine of researchers employed in a lab where metal based-NPs were synthetised (Company C) and in workers of a chemical facility where nano-precious metals were used for the production of catalytic converters (Company D). Results obtained from this investigation are expected to inform te definition of adequate strategies to assess both ultrafine particles and engineered nanoparticle exposure in different occupational settings. Overall, this may provide interesting guidance to future investigations aimed to gain insight into risk assessment and management procedures in nano-related occupations.

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