Propagation modelling based on airborne particle release data from nanostructured materials for exposure estimation and prediction

The gap between release and exposure is limiting the current risk assessment of nanostructured materials. Both, release and exposure were connected to each other by transport and transformation processes and require therefore the description/specification of complex exposure scenarios. Within this study, propagation modelling based on experimentally determined airborne particle release data was used for exposure estimation and prediction in a defined model room. Therefore, 9 different exposure scenarios based on 3 release scenarios and 3 ventilation scenarios were analysed. Results for near field considerations have shown that the level of inhalation exposure is fundamentally defined by the present exposure scenario, that personal heat can cause particle availability in the breathing zone and that highest exposure levels arise immediate during material processing.