# A Study of Protective Clothing to Prevent Nanoparticle Exposure and Surface Contamination

> **NIH ALLCDC R21** · COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $176,183

## Abstract

A Study of Protective Clothing to Prevent Nanoparticle Exposure and Surface Contamination
Principal Investigator:
Candace Su-Jung Tsai, Sc.D., Assistant Professor of Industrial Hygiene and Environmental Health, Colorado
State University, and Faculty Member at Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University
Investigators:
Yan Vivian Li, PhD., Assistant Professor in Fiber Science, Colorado State University
Ron Reifenberger, PhD., Professor of Physics, Director of Kevin Hall Nanometrology Laboratory, Purdue
University
PROJECT SUMMARY
 The proliferation of new applications in nanotechnology has highlighted the need to protect researchers in
laboratories and workers in production facilities from exposure to engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) through skin
contact or inhalation. Workers wearing contaminated clothing are at high risk of inhaling ENPs released from
that clothing without any awareness of the potential danger. We have recently documented the significant
release of metal oxide ENPs from laboratory clothing and highlighted serious concerns regarding the need to
better understand the factors associated with ENP exposure from workplace attire. Importantly, when leaving
the laboratory/production line, researchers and workers are unaware of the possible ENP exposure from
contaminated clothing that they bring back to the office, home or public places. This contaminated clothing also
poses a significant risk to non-workers in these outside of the workplace settings. It is well documented in the
past, for example, that exposure to asbestos fibers from contaminated clothing has caused many workers and
non-workers to suffer from asbestos-related diseases. It is worrying to note that ENPs are 1/10 to 1/100 the size
of asbestos particles. Thus, the number of exposed ENPs could be >1000 more than that of such micron
asbestos fibers, yet they are still invisible to the human eye. The goal of this study is to address key knowledge
gaps in our understanding of ENP contamination of laboratory protective clothing and identify ways to prevent
and minimize the problem.
 To achieve this goal, this project will study the propensity for contamination of major protective clothing
fabrics by clinically-significant ENPs as well as the potential for subsequent exposure to individuals who come
into contact with these fabrics. Our study will focus on key mechanistic aspects of ENP-fabric interactions such
as mechanical force and electrical charge. The quantitative assessment of ENP adhesion and release from
contaminated clothing will allow us to identify optimal fabric characteristics for protection against toxic ENPs.
Importantly, we will use novel sampling techniques and state of the art technologies, including direct-reading air
monitoring instruments, a nanoparticle sampler possessing a proprietary modification that we made to improve
performance, and a thermal precipitator designed for nanoparticle collection to determine exposure, and
advanced microscopic analysis - i...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10006318
- **Project number:** 5R21OH011507-02
- **Recipient organization:** COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Candace SuJung Tsai
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $176,183
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-15 → 2021-09-14

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10006318

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10006318, A Study of Protective Clothing to Prevent Nanoparticle Exposure and Surface Contamination (5R21OH011507-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10006318. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*