Engineered Nanomaterials (ENMs) have several uses in various industrial fields and are embedded in a myriad of consumer products. However, there is continued concern over the potential adverse health effects and environmental impacts of ENMs due to their unique physico-chemical characteristics. Currently, there are no specific international regulations for various ENMs. There are also no Occupational Exposure Limits (OEL) regulated by the European Union (EU) for nanomaterials in the form of nano-objects, their aggregates or agglomerates (NOAA). For ENMs the question of which metric to be used (i.e., mass, surface area, number concentrations) to determine the exposure is still not resolved. The aim of this work is to assess the worker exposure by inhalation in an industrial spray coating process by using all three metrics mentioned above. Two target ENMs (N-doped TiO2, TiO2N and AgNPs capped with a quaternized hydroxyethyl-cellulose, AgHEC) generated for industrial-scale spraying processes were considered. Results showed that the averaged particle number concentration (10-100 nm) was below 2.7 10(4) cm(-3) for both materials. The Lung Deposited Surface Area (LDSA) was in the range between 73 and 98 mu m(2)cm(-3) and the particle mass concentration (obtained by means of ICP-EOS off-line analysis) resulted below 70 mu g m(-3) and 0.4 mu g m(-3) for TiO2 and Ag, respectively. Although, the airborne particles concentration compared well with the NIOSH Recommended Exposure Level (REL) limits the contribution to the background, according to EN 17058 (Annex E) was significant (particularly in the particle number and PM1 mass concentrations). We successfully evaluated the worker exposure by means of the different airborne particles' metrics (number, surface and mass concentrations). We concluded that worker exposure assessment involving ENMs is a complex procedure with requires both real time and off-line measurements and a deep investigation of the background.

Nanostructured cellulose sponges (CNS) have been developed as eco-friendly and sustainable engineered materials for marine environmental remediation. Despite their functionality, sensitivity, efficiency and specificity have been proved, CNS application is still limited since their environmental safety (eco-safety) has not been completely assessed. In this study, CNS were allowed to leach in natural seawater simulating the remediation process condition and the eco-safety of CNS leachate on sea urchin reproduction has been assessed by carrying out a multi-response integrated approach, combining standardized ecotoxicity tests, innovative bioassays and gamete quality assessment. Overall, the ecotoxicity data indicate that CNS leachate affects gamete quality, gamete fertilisation competence, and embryo development probably associated with the release of chemical additives used during the synthesis process. However, in the framework of the eco-design approach, consecutive leaching treatments and conditioning of CNS in seawater open the route for a new safety protocol successfully solving the ecotoxicity while maintaining CNS sorbent properties. A safe environmental application of the resulting conditioned CNS for seawater pollution remediation is envisaged.