Case Studies
J.S. Held is providing subcontractor services for occupational exposure assessments to CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training, a nonprofit science-based organization dedicated to reducing occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities in the construction industry. J.S. Held supported the nonprofit’s nano team in the assessment of manufactured nanomaterial (MNM) exposures during construction activities to help our client understand whether exposure levels presented health risks to workers, and how these exposures can be controlled.
Much of the work involved identifying commercial construction products enabled with MNMs. Once the products were identified, the team designed task-based industrial hygiene sampling procedures to monitor a range of construction activities in controlled chamber settings or during simulated product use in the field. The goal of the research was to determine personal and environmental airborne exposures to MNMs during product use. The research generated much needed personal exposure data, helping to answer the question of how MNM exposures impacted workers using the materials in construction and the variability of the exposures in workplace conditions.
The nano-enabled construction materials studied included photocatalytic roofing tiles with titanium dioxide nanoparticles, wood sealant with zinc oxide, paint with titanium dioxide particles, biocidal paint containing silver nanoparticles, and graphene nanoplatelet cement composites.
The graphene cement study was completed in May 2022. The study involved cutting, grinding, and tuckpointing of concrete and mortar strengthened with graphene nanoplatelets. Two types of engineering controls were investigated: wet methods, which had not been investigated previously, and local exhaust ventilation. Collaborators from another lab were present to observe the sampling. They were given bulk material samples and dusts generated during the study which they took back to their laboratory to use in their toxicologic research. This ongoing partnership has enabled realistic hazard evaluations based on occupationally relevant exposure data.
Leonard Burrelli, MS
Senior Industrial Hygienist / Project Manager
Environmental, Health & Safety
+1 240 368 6507
[email protected]
> Industrial Hygiene Services
Our team of Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIHs), Certified Safety Professionals (CSPs), and environmental scientists provide expert counsel on matters involving asbestos, lead, mold, legionella, smoke, noise, occupational risks, and other hazards.
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J.S. Held’s safety consultants provide specialized expertise in the assessment, mitigation, and control of environmental, health, and safety risks.
> Toxicology Consulting Services
J.S. Held’s toxicologists provide support on health-based and environmental matters involving public health, exposure, risk assessment, and characterization.