Estimating production data for five engineered nanomaterials as a basis for exposure assessment

Environ Sci Technol. 2011 Apr 1;45(7):2562-9. doi: 10.1021/es103300g. Epub 2011 Mar 10.

Abstract

The magnitude of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) being produced and potentially released to the environment is a crucial and thus far unknown input to exposure assessment. This work estimates upper and lower bound annual United States production quantities for 5 classes of ENMs. A variety of sources were culled to identify companies producing source ENM products and determine production volumes. Using refining assumptions to attribute production levels from companies with more reliable estimates to companies with little to no data, ranges of U.S. production quantities were projected for each of the 5 ENMs. The quality of data is also analyzed; the percentage of companies for which data were available (via Web sites, patents, or direct communication) or unavailable (and thus extrapolated from other companies' data) is presented.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Cerium / economics
  • Chemical Industry / economics
  • Chemical Industry / statistics & numerical data*
  • Environmental Exposure / analysis
  • Environmental Exposure / statistics & numerical data*
  • Environmental Policy
  • Fullerenes / economics
  • Metal Nanoparticles / economics
  • Metal Nanoparticles / statistics & numerical data
  • Nanostructures / economics
  • Nanostructures / statistics & numerical data*
  • Nanotubes, Carbon / economics
  • Nanotubes, Carbon / statistics & numerical data
  • United States

Substances

  • Fullerenes
  • Nanotubes, Carbon
  • Cerium
  • ceric oxide