Applied Chemical Engineering

Associated Health Risks of Nanomaterials in the Paints and Coatings Industry: Exposure Pathways and Assessment Approaches

Muktar Abdullahi Abdulazeez

Department of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia

Azizul Buang

Department of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia

Bamidele Victor Ayodele

Department of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia

Mardhati Zainal Abidin

College of Engineering and Technology, University of Doha for Science and Technology 24449, Doha, Qatar

Nazli Gulum Mutlu

Department of Occupational Health and Safety, University of Health Sciences, 34668 Istanbul, Türkiye

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/ace.v9i3.5996

Keywords: Engineered nanomaterials; Occupational exposure; Paints and coatings; Spray coating; Control banding; Exposure assessment; Occupational hygiene

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Abstract

The rapid integration of engineered nanomaterials into paints and coatings has substantially improved product performance. However, this technological advancement introduces significant and incompletely characterized occupational health risks for workers in this industry engaged with nanomaterial synthesis, formulation, spray application, sanding, and maintenance operations. This review critically evaluates the occupational health risks associated with nanomaterial exposure in the paints and coatings industry, their exposure pathways, adverse health effects, and the current state of risk assessment frameworks. Inhalation is identified as the dominant occupational exposure route, with spray application and powder handling generating the highest near-field airborne nanoparticle concentrations, in some cases exceeding recommended occupational exposure limits, and dermal contact represents a secondary pathway. The state of exposure risk assessment in the industry and comparison of the existing frameworks reveal no validation against empirical exposure data from the paints and coatings environment, the absence of harmonized occupational exposure limits for most engineered nanomaterials, and the persistent inconsistencies across the control banding tools most widely used in practice. This review identifies three priority research directions for the field: 1. Establishing health-based occupational exposure limits for the nanomaterials most commonly used in coatings, 2. Resolving the aerosol metric debate to enable cross-study comparability of exposure data, and 3. Developing and validating quantitative risk models specifically calibrated to the aerosol dynamics and mixture exposure conditions of industrial coating operations.

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