Evaluating the effectiveness of personal protective equipment against engineered nanomaterials: A systematic review

A key issue related to the development of nanotechnology is the protection of researchers in laboratories and workers in production facilities from exposure to engineered nanoparticles (ENPs). Personal protective equipment (PPE) can only provide protection if it is selected correctly, well maintained, and used properly in all possible exposures. The objective of this review was to systematically evaluate studies that have assessed the effectiveness of PPE against ENPs. The scientific literature search included the electronic databases of Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE via PubMed, Cochrane Collaboration Summaries, and NIOSHTIC. According to the PRISMA flow diagram, 24 papers that met the exclusion and inclusion criteria were included in this review. The review results on gloves, masks, and protective clothing revealed that among the common gloves assessed, nitrile 100 gloves were reported as the least suitable protection method against penetration. Also, most masks have low percent penetration. N99 and P100 masks were more effective than N95 masks. The results also indicated that the physical properties of textiles such as fiber diameter, fabric thickness, porosity, air permeability, and pore size are crucial in determining fabric performance against nanomaterials. Most studies have not used a standardized methodology for evaluating the performance of PPE against nanoparticles, highlighting the need for designing and developing a new method. It is essential to develop a precise and valid application guideline based on scientific evidence to assess protection methods for occupational exposure to ENPs.