AAAR 34th Annual Conference
October 12 - October 16, 2015
Hyatt Regency
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Abstract View
Application of Aerosol Science to Engineered Nanomaterials
LINSEY MARR, Virginia Tech
Abstract Number: 59 Working Group: Invited by Conference Chair
Abstract Nanotechnology is touted as the basis for the next industrial revolution, yet the health and environmental impacts of engineered nanomaterials are not fully known. The history of asbestos and combustion-generated ultrafine particles suggests that we should be concerned about exposure to novel nanoscale particles. To gain insight into the emissions, transformation, transport, and fate of engineered nanomaterials in the atmosphere, we can apply knowledge and tools from aerosol science and engineering. The exchange is two-way, as methods used in nanoscience research can provide detailed characterization of airborne particles. Engineered nanomaterials can be released into the atmosphere at every step in the product life cycle: production at a commercial manufacturing facility, use by consumers in the home, and disposal via incineration. Although we may envision a puff of pure, monodisperse, separated particles, engineered nanomaterials released into air are typically aggregated with other particulate matter, such ingredients in the parent product or soot, and the size of such aggregates may range from smaller than 10 nanometers to larger than 10 micrometers. Like many aerosols, engineered nanomaterials are subject to chemical transformations in the atmosphere that may modify the nanomaterials' environmental fate and toxicity. From the opposite perspective, engineered nanomaterials can be used as model aerosols in laboratory studies or as components of environmental sensors to inform aerosol science. Further research is needed to determine whether airborne engineered nanomaterials present a novel hazard.