title: Micronized copper wood preservatives: an efficiency and potential health risk assessment for copper-based nanoparticles.
abstract: Copper (Cu) is an essential biocide for wood protection, but fails to protect wood against Cu-tolerant wood-destroying fungi. Recently Cu particles (size range: 1 nm-25 μm) were introduced to the wood preservation market. The new generation of preservatives with Cu-based nanoparticles (Cu-based NPs) is reputedly more efficient against wood-destroying fungi than conventional formulations. Therefore, it has the potential to become one of the largest end uses for wood products worldwide. However, during decomposition of treated wood Cu-based NPs and/or their derivate may accumulate in the mycelium of Cu-tolerant fungi and end up in their spores that are dispersed into the environment. Inhaled Cu-loaded spores can cause harm and could become a potential risk for human health. We collected evidence and discuss the implications of the release of Cu-based NPs by wood-destroying fungi and highlight the exposure pathways and subsequent magnitude of health impact.
authors.affiliation: Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Testing and Research, Wood Laboratory, Lerchenfeldstrasse 5, CH-9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland; Institute for Building Materials, ETH Zurich, Wolfgang-Pauli Strasse 10, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Civardi
authors.affiliation: Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Testing and Research, Wood Laboratory, Lerchenfeldstrasse 5, CH-9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Francis W M R
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Schwarze
authors.affiliation: Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Testing and Research, Materials-Biology Interactions Laboratory, Lerchenfeldstrasse 5, CH-9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland. Electronic address: peter.wick@empa.ch.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wick
mesh_terms: D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000633:toxicity*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005658:Fungi / Q000378:metabolism; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000633:toxicity*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014934:Wood
chemical_list: D004202:Disinfectants; D003300:Copper
keywords: Copper-tolerant fungi; Micronized copper; Nanocopper exposure; Wood preservatives; Wood-destroying fungi