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Nanoparticles in Consumer Products and the Indoor Air Quality
Jason Yost • June 3, 2024
Nanoparticles in Consumer Products & The Indoor Air Quality
For generations, people have been concerned about particulate matter (i.e., particles) in the air. Traditionally, these particles have included things such as insect fragments, mold spores, pollen, fibrous particles, skin fragments, soot, and other particles, but, with the growing use of nanoparticles in consumer products and medication, people have begun to ask the question: Are we adding another environmental stressor (i.e., the nanoparticles) to our environments? And what risk does this pose to my health?
Perhaps you’ve heard the term nanoparticles, but have you ever thought about what that term means? Furthermore, have you ever considered where you may find nanoparticles?
Nanoparticles (e.g. carbon nanotubes; silver, gold, copper and silica nanoparticles) is a term used to describe a group of small particles that ranges between 1 to 100 nanometers (nm, or 0.0000000394 - 0.000003937 inches (in.)) in size. To help put into perspective how small these particles are, let’s compare them to other particles:
Particle Type:
Diameter Size Range:
A sheet of paper
10,000 nm
(0.000394 in.)
Coarse particles (e.g., visible dust)
2,500 – 10,000 nm
(0.0000984252 - 0.0003937008 in.)
Fine particles (also known as respirable particulate)
100 – 2,500 nm
(0.000003937 - 0.0000984252 in.)
Nanoparticles
1 – 100 nm
(0.0000000394 - 0.000003937 in.)
As you can see from these examples, nanoparticles are extremely small, undetectable by the human eye. The (nano-)technology used in the incorporation of nanoparticles is widely used to enhance the functionality of numerous consumer products. While you may be unaware of it, you are likely using multiple consumer products that have been created with the help of this (nano-)technology in your daily life. Products include things like cosmetics, various eyeglasses technology (e.g., protective and antireflective ultrathin polymer coatings, scratch-resistant coatings, and anti-fogging lens), in textiles (e.g., waterproof, windproof, stain resistant, odor resistant, wrinkle resistant, and sun protective clothing), deodorizing sprays, electronics (e.g., smartwatches and smartphones), sunscreens, and sporting equipment. Given its size and growing use in our everyday lives, it is reasonable to ask the question: Do these nanoparticles pose a risk to my health?
Given nanoparticles may transform physically and/or chemically from their original form after interacting with man-made or environmental factors, the answer to this question is slow in coming. Early research has shown that some risks exist (1) in the form of dermal exposure (e.g., to cosmetics) and (2) from the released and resuspended manufactured particles (spray-application products used indoors) during regular product and building use. However, while these researchers have shown increased exposure to nanoparticles, the actual risk-potential to those exposed has not been discussed. For example, this research project (see also image below) showed that – just by walking over a surface sprayed with a consumer product containing nanoparticles – nanoparticles were resuspended into the breath-zone (i.e., that portion of the air whereby a child or adult takes in air during respiration), but concluded: “Overall, these data on the resuspension of particles from nano-enabled consumer sprays could help us understand the resulting exposures and support future studies on human exposure reduction.” This doesn’t help answer your question, does it?
The actual risk-potential to one exposed to any particle requires careful consideration of several factors, for example:
1) The type and concentration of a given agent or group of agents,
2) The means of exposure to that type and concentration,
3) The duration of exposure to that type and concentration,
4) One’s biological disposition in relation to the type, concentration, and means and duration of exposure, and
5) Other factors.
One analyzing the indoor environment for such risk-potential should consider the environmental stressors in question as well as those factors that may cause the physical or chemical transformations (discussed earlier) and the byproducts of those transformations, routes of exposure, source of the environmental stressor(s), and other important factors. This is where Gulf Coast Center for Indoor Air Quality Services can help. Our accredited staff can perform various material data analyses, airborne chemical and physical properties, and other important factors in helping determine the presence and extent of contamination as well as the likely means of one’s exposure, causal factor(s), and other important factors. To learn more about how we may help you, give us a call or email us for a free review of your needs. Let’s discover how we may best serve you.
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