Exposure in the workplace - Measurement of inhalation exposure of nanomaterials and their aggregates and agglomerates (NOAA) - Parameters to be used as concentration of particle number, surface area concentration and mass concentration

The standard specifies the use of different parameters for measuring the NOAA inhalation exposure both for the basic assessment and for the overall evaluation as described in the EN 17058 standard. The standard explains the implications encountered in the choice of parameters, for airborne particles, usable to express exposure by inhalation to airborne NOAAs such as those released by nanomaterials and present in the principles of operation, or the advantages and disadvantages of techniques that measure parameters for aerosols. The potential problems and limits that must be considered when, in the future, occupational exposure limits should be adopted and when measures will be taken to determine compliance with these limits are described. Specific information is particularly provided for the following measurement parameters / techniques: - particle number / counter for condensation by optical detection; - number of granulometric distribution / systems for the measurement of differential mobility by electric mobility; - surface area / electric charge on the available surface of the particle; - mass / chemical analysis (for example: Inductively Coupled Plasma atomic Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) on samples with selected granulometry (by impact or by diffusion). The standard is designed for those who are responsible for the selection of methods for measuring occupational exposure to airborne NOAAs.