Nanos and construction

Nanos and construction

By AVICENN Team – Last Added September 2022

Construction is one of the leading sectors using the most nanomaterials¹ See sector number 1 according to the report Industrial realities in the field of nanomaterials in France – Analysis of the reality of the weight of nanomaterials in the industrial sector concerned, D&Consultants for the Directorate General for Competitiveness, Industry and Services (DGCIS, of the Ministry for Productive Recovery), June 2012 . A list of nanomaterials used in construction is available in the annual reports of mandatory declaration of nanomaterials, prepared by the National Health Security Agency (HANDLES) and published by the Ministry of Ecology²See: https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/nanomateriaux#e3.

In which construction products are nanomaterials found?

Self-cleaning windows, stained wood, cement and concrete³See in particular:
- Fracture toughness of one- and two-dimensional nanoreinforced cement via scratch testing, Akono AT, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A., 379, 2203, Aug 2021
- Reinforce cements by incorporating nanomaterials, Engineering techniques, September 10, 2021
- Nanos in concrete, Mathieu Porchet, Founding Partner at prllx, June 16, 2020, paintings⁴See in particular:
- Pigments: The oldest nanomaterials in human history facing modern day challenges, Eurocolour & VDMI, Nanopinion, EUON, June 2020
- What if we thought a little to lower the air conditioning bill?, batiactu, February 2019: “a paint based on white ceramic nanoparticles for flat roofs can lower the air conditioning bill of large buildings”
- List of nano-pigments on the EU market : More than 80 nano-sized pigments were identified on the European market in 2018 by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) (particularly so-called "depolluting" cements and paints, the benefit-risk ratio of which is not favorable today⁵See in particular: Paints to purify the ambient air, CEA Liten, November 2020), varnishes, insulation materials, tiles and seals, switches, air ducts, sidewalk and road coatings⁶It would be nanocoatings of concrete slabs designed by the University of Twente, in the Netherlands, supposed to decompose nitrogen oxides (harmful urban pollutants) marketed in France by the company URBAPT. See “Titanium: promises and risks of a depollutant” in The civilization of nanoproducts, Jean-Jacques Perrier, Belin editions, September 2017, nanomaterials are increasingly used in building and construction.

Yet the legislation does not yet impose thelabeling products used in construction and public works, contrary to what is practiced in cosmetics, biocides andfood.

The register R-nano does not make it possible to precisely identify the products concerned either.

Nanomaterials do not appear (or very little) either in the Environmental and Health Declaration Sheets (FEDS, for construction and decoration products) or safety data sheets (FDS for substances and mixtures), despite the obligation, for the latter, to contain information on nanoforms and their risks since 2021.

It is therefore necessary to cross the sources ⁷Some documents can help you, including:
-Nano Pigments Inventory, ECHA, 2018: more than 80 nano-sized pigments identified on the European market
-The website nanoshop.com identifies nanomaterials used in construction (windows, metal, etc.).
- Elcosh NANO – Construction Nanomaterial Inventory, Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR): 400 products in September 2014
-Assistance in identifying nanomaterials in companies, INRS, June 2014
-Help sheet for identifying nanomaterials (BTP), Direccte Bretagne, October 2013 , question manufacturers and suppliers, without any guarantee of being able to identify the nanomaterials in the finished products – except by resorting to laboratory tests.

What are they used for?

Nanomaterials are used in construction for their new or enhanced properties compared to conventional materials, structured on a milli- or micrometric scale:

• the amorphous silica fumes, 100 times smaller than grains of cement, have a very high surface area, from 15 to 30 m²/gram; like the carbon nanotubes, they confer properties of fluidity or increased mechanical resistance, for "very high performance" concretes or nano-structuring repair mortars
  
• the titanium dioxide nanoparticles and D'zinc oxide are praised for their ability to reduce soiling, under the effect of UV, of materials used in particular in the construction industry⁸See in particular:
  – “The City of Arts and Music in Chambéry, inaugurated in 2003, was one of the first buildings whose roofing cement included TiO2; soon followed by the police station in Bordeaux and the Mermoz block in Maisons-Laffitte. The Italian pavilion at the Universal Exhibition in Milan in 2015 and the Jubilee Church in Rome, inaugurated in 2007, are other examples of self-cleaning white buildings using cements based on titanium dioxide": "Titanium: promises and risks of a depollutant » in The civilization of nanoproducts, Jean-Jacques Perrier, Belin editions, September 2017.
  - Nano-coating to protect buildings against pollution, Youris, September 2017
  – Eco-efficient construction and building materials, Torgal, FP & Jalali, S, construction Build. Mater., 25, 582-590, 2011
  – Application of titanium dioxide photocatalysis to create self-cleaning materials, Stamate, M.; Lazar, G. Modell. Optim. Mach., Build. Field (MOCM), 13 (3), 280-285, 2007 such as cement, ceramics, paints, varnishes
  
• the silver nanoparticles are used for their antibacterial or antifungal properties
  
• thealuminum oxide increases the scratch resistance of materials
  
• the nanofoams (hydro-NM-oxide) and nanostructures provide good thermal and sound insulation.
  

What are the associated risks?

Health and environmental risks

Large-scale use of materials containing nanomaterials is not without environmental risks and worker health exposed.

• In 2012, INERIS intervened publicly on the issues of Nanoparticles and Building Materials. And the same year the INRS had published a specific note on theUse of nanometric titanium dioxide – Special case of the construction industry.
• At the end of 2017, the OPPBTP presented its work and its approach on nanos au ANSES nano dialogue committee.
• In mid-2018, the High Council for Public Health (HCSP) published a report⁹See Protect workers and people near titanium dioxide nanoparticle production or handling sites, High Council for Public Health, June 25, 2018 calling to protect workers and populations near industrial sites producing or handling nano-TiO2, along with a set of practical recommendations for public authorities and industry. In particular, he recommended: “In the particular case of the construction industry (construction and recycling), additional research on the emissivity of street furniture must be conducted because it contains TiO NPs₂ (nano cobblestone, nano concrete, self-cleaning glass); their results will have to be communicated to the occupational health services”.

• In 2019, the European Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) SCHEER recalled¹⁰See Statement on emerging health and environmental issues, Scheer, 2018 warned about nanoparticles released into the environment by construction materials and waste (during renovation and demolition processes, during recycling, landfilling or incineration but also when the nano-coatings are not properly fixed, when they degrade). He recalled that the nanoparticles which then end up in aquatic systems can have adverse effects on aquatic and marine life and in soils. Essential microbial interactions can be disrupted. He lamented thelack of regulations requiring the labeling or identification of construction materials containing nanomaterials, which hampers the necessary identification of sources and flows of nanomaterials that may be released – as well as the assessment of the risks they may entail.
• In 2019, a LNE webinar presented the risks associated with the thermal degradation of nanomaterials in transport and housing.

Without the possibility of identifying whether nanomaterials are present in the materials used in construction, how can we be sure of their recyclability? This lack of information on the nature of the materials poses a big problem for the circular economy in the building sector.

Economic risks

The risks are not only health and environmental: they are also of an economic nature, in particular for the contracting authorities. Indeed, asbestos removal is still very expensive today and still raises many questions.¹¹See in particular 25 years of asbestos: the scandal continues, InfoDiag, Special Edition, September 2022. The authorities could be led to order the “denanoparticulation” of buildings, during the renovation of paintings or the deconstruction of a building for example, the clients will have to bear the costs!

Faced with the risks, some precautions?

As early as 2008, the Grand Council of the Republic and Canton of Geneva advised against the use of TiO₂ nanoparticle on State construction sites as well as in the constructions of private companies¹²Health: straight into the wall… self-cleaning, Alternative Santé, January 6, 2016 and Report M 1741-A of the Council of State to the Grand Council of Geneva 2008, on the basis of a study carried out by the Cantonal Service for Industrial Toxicology and Protection against Indoor Pollution, which considers that it is “Irresponsible to use such a product before even researching known hazards and assessing their risks”, deplores “the premature use of these products in Italy, France and Belgium” and wish "that these imprudences are not repeated on the territory of our Canton"¹³Annex 2 of the previous document..

What research is there on the subject?

In France, INRS, INERIS, ANSES, CEA and other research organizations in France and abroad are working to find out more. We relay their publications when we spot them.