Exposure to Nanoparticles - Environmental and Human Health Impacts of Nanotechnology - page 319

predominate form. The size of these aggregates will depend upon the energy used
in the fi nishing process. At this point in time there are no published data from
scenarios of this type. Once composites of this type are released into wider usage,
for example as a construction material, the potential of exposure to a much larger
number of people becomes possible. As a common building material the composite
could easily be cut, shaped, heated or otherwise worked, all of which processes give
the potential for the release of particles into the air. In all of these circumstances
it is very likely that the nature of dust released into the air will be of an agglomer-
ated form, which may or may not have the potential to disassociate when or indeed
if it enters the human lung.
For occupational exposure, there is wide potential for exposure by inhalation, by
the skin or by ingestion for nanomaterials in widely differing forms. However, at
the current time there is almost no information about the exposure levels (occu-
pational), the nature of the material to which people are exposed or the duration
of exposures.

8.3.1.2 Exposures in Consumer Scenarios

One of the surprising aspects of the development of nanotechnology has been the
extent to which nanomaterials have already found their way into consumer prod-
ucts. There is already a wide range of consumer products which have the potential
to lead to exposures of consumers to nanoparticles by inhalation, ingestion and
through the skin (Chaudhry et al. , 2008 ; Aitken et al. , 2006). There is also the pos-
sibility of direct exposure to members of the general public through the use of
nanomaterials in nanomedicine. However, the regulatory landscape for medicines
is rather different and so these applications will not be considered further in this
chapter.
The Woodrow Wilson Project on Emerging Nanotechnology (PEN) has
developed the fi rst publicly available on-line inventory of nanotechnology-based
consumer products. This is available as an on-line database (PEN, 2008). As of
late 2007, the nanotechnology consumer products inventory contained 580 products
or product lines. For each entry, the information is provided on product name,
company, manufacturer or supplier, and so on, as well as a hyperlink to the product
webpage.
Products are grouped according to relevant main categories that are loosely
based on publicly available (US) consumer product classifi cation systems. The
largest main category is Health and Fitness, with a total of 356 products. The sub-
categories associated with this main category are illustrated in Figure 8.2. It includes
Cosmetics (89 products), Clothing (92), Personal Care (85), Sporting Goods (59),
Sunscreen (27) and Filtration (20). Again, products with relevance to multiple
categories have been accounted for multiple times. The Cosmetics, Clothing and
Personal Care sub-categories are now the largest in the inventory.
Other categories include Home and Garden (69), which includes a range of
cleaning, coating, sealing and air freshening/deodorising products, and Food and
Beverage (68), containing products such as food supplements and additives, and
food packaging.