Emissions from Consumer Products Containing Engineered Nanomaterials over Their Lifecycle - Safety of Nanomaterials along Their Lifecycle - page 339

120
100

Area 1

Ag

80
60

Ag

1

40

Si

20
0

01 2 3

Energy (keV)

45

50 nm

400

Area 1

Ag

Cl

300

1

200

Ag

100 Cu

0

012345
Energy (keV)

500 nm

1000

Ag Area 1

800

600

C Cl

Cu Ag

1

400

Al

200

O

0

1 µm

0123
Energy (keV)

45

FIGURE 15.4 Electron microscopy images of particles found in the washing solution
of nano-Ag containing textiles. Top: agglomerate of metallic Ag NP; middle: large AgCl
crystals; bottom: agglomerates of small AgCl particles. (Reprinted from Chemosphere, 89,
Lorenz, C. et al., Characterization of silver release from commercially available functional
(nano)textiles, 817-824. Copyright 2012, with permission from Elsevier.)

All the studies presented so far targeted Ag-containing textiles. However, textiles
also contain a variety of other nanoparticles, for example, TiO 2 or SiO 2 (Som et al.
2010). Windler et al. (2012) have investigated the release of TiO 2 from six different
textiles. Analysis of fiber cross-sections revealed that the TiO 2 was contained within
the fiber matrix. Five of the textiles (with sun-protection functionality) released low
amounts of Ti (0.01-0.06 wt% of total Ti) in one washing cycle. One textile (with
antimicrobial functionality) released much higher amounts of Ti (5 mg/L, corre-
sponding to 3.4 wt% of total Ti in one washing cycle). Size fractionation of the Ti
in the washing solution showed that about equal amounts were released as particles