Assessment of nanoparticle release and associated health effect of polymer-silicon composites

The fast advancement in the nanotechnology and manufacturing of engineering nanomaterials has inevitably caused concerns over their impact on environment and human health. Little information is currently available on possible release of nanomaterials or/and nanoparticles (NP) from conventional and novel products and associated health effect. The NEPHH project funded under the EU FP7 programme is aimed to assess the environment and health impact of polymer-silicon nanocomposites in comparison to conventional polymer composites from life cycle perspective. As part of the NEPHH project, this study focused on assessing the possible release of NP during the application stage of conventional and nanoproducts. NP release was monitored during physical processing of polymer-silicon composites, and the toxicity of both the released NP and the raw silica nanomaterials that were used as fillers in nanocomposites was assessed in vitro using human lung epithelial A549 cells.