title: Workplace Exposure to Titanium Dioxide Nanopowder Released from a Bag Filter System.
abstract: Many researchers who use laboratory-scale synthesis systems to manufacture nanomaterials could be easily exposed to airborne nanomaterials during the research and development stage. This study used various real-time aerosol detectors to investigate the presence of nanoaerosols in a laboratory used to manufacture titanium dioxide (TiO2). The TiO2 nanopowders were produced via flame synthesis and collected by a bag filter system for subsequent harvesting. Highly concentrated nanopowders were released from the outlet of the bag filter system into the laboratory. The fractional particle collection efficiency of the bag filter system was only 20% at particle diameter of 100 nm, which is much lower than the performance of a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. Furthermore, the laboratory hood system was inadequate to fully exhaust the air discharged from the bag filter system. Unbalanced air flow rates between bag filter and laboratory hood systems could result in high exposure to nanopowder in laboratory settings. Finally, we simulated behavior of nanopowders released in the laboratory using computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
authors.affiliation: EcoPictures Co. Ltd., Seoul 137-865, Republic of Korea ; Research & Business Foundation, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 440-746, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jun Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Center for Environment, Health, and Welfare Research, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791, Republic of Korea ; Green School, Korea University, Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Bum
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: EcoPictures Co. Ltd., Seoul 137-865, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Gwangjae
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jung-Hun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Noh
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Se-Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Yook
authors.affiliation: Center for Materials Architecture, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: So-Hye
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Center for Environment, Health, and Welfare Research, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791, Republic of Korea ; Green School, Korea University, Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea ; University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 305-303, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Gwi-Nam
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Bae
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols / Q000737:chemistry; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005374:Filtration; D006801:Humans; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000737:chemistry; D010316:Particle Size; D014025:Titanium / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000737:chemistry; D017132:Workplace
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; C009495:titanium dioxide; D014025:Titanium