Nanos and construction

Nanos and construction

By the AVICENN team – Last added September 2022

The construction industry is one of the sectors that uses the most nanomaterials¹ See the number 1 sector 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 General Directorate for Competitiveness, Industry and Services (DGCIS, of the Ministry of Productive Redress), June 2012 . A list of nanomaterials used in the construction industry is available in the annual reports on the mandatory declaration of nanomaterials, prepared by the French National Health and Safety Agency(ANSES) and published by the Ministry of EcologyCf²: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, August 2021
– Strengthening cements by incorporating nanomaterials, Techniques de l’ingénieur, 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
– How about a little thought to lower the air conditioning bill, batiactu, February 2019: “a white ceramic nanoparticle paint for flat roofs can lower the air conditioning bill for large buildings”
– List of nano-pigments on the EU market: More than 80 nano-sized pigments have been identified on the European market in 2018 by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) (particularly so-called “depolluting” cements and paints, whose benefit-risk ratio is not currently favorableSee⁵in particular : Paints to purify ambient air, CEA Liten, November 2020), varnishes, insulation materials, tiles and joints, switches, air ducts, sidewalks and roads⁶These are nanocoatings of concrete slabs designed by the University of Twente, in the Netherlands, which are supposed to break down nitrogen oxides (harmful urban pollutants) marketed in France by the company URBAPT. Cf. “Titanium: promises and risks of a depollutant” in La civilisation des nanoproduits, Jean-Jacques Perrier, éditions Belin, September 2017Nanomaterials are increasingly used in the building and construction industry.

However, the legislation does not yet require thelabeling of products used in construction and public works, unlike what is practiced in cosmetics, biocides andfood.

The R-nano register does not allow to identify precisely the products concerned.

Nanomaterials do not appear (or very little) in the Environmental and Health Declaration Sheets (FEDSfor construction and decoration products) nor the safety data sheets( SDS for substances and mixtures)This is in spite of the obligation, for the latter, to contain information on nanoforms and their risks since 2021.

It is therefore necessary to cross-reference sources ⁷A few documents can help you, including:
Nano Pigments Inventory, ECHA, 2018: more than 80 nano-sized pigments identified on the European market
-The nanoshop.com website allows to find nanomaterials used in construction (glass, metal, …).
– Elcosh NANO – Construction Nanomaterial Inventory, Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR): 400 products as of September 2014
–Aide au repérage des nanomatériaux en entreprise, INRS, June 2014
–Sheet to help identify nanomaterials (construction and public works), Direccte Bretagne, October 2013 In addition to the above, the company has been asked to interview manufacturers and suppliers, with no guarantee that it will be able to identify nanomaterials in finished products – except through laboratory testing.

What are they used for?

Nanomaterials are used in the construction industry for their new or enhanced properties compared to conventional materials, structured at the milli- or micrometer scale:

• the Amorphous silica fumes, 100 times smaller than cement grains, have a very high surface area, from 15 to 30 m²/gram; as the carbon nanotubes, they confer properties of fluidity or increased mechanical resistance, for “very high performance” concretes or nano-structuring repair mortars
  
• the nanoparticles of titanium dioxide andzinc oxide nanoparticles are praised for their ability to reduce the fouling, under the effect of UV, of materials used in particular in the BTPCf⁸:
  – “La Cité des arts et de la musique” in Chambéry, inaugurated in 2003, was one of the first buildings whose roofing cement included TiO2; it was soon followed by the police headquarters in Bordeaux and the Mermoz block in Maisons-Laffitte. Other examples of self-cleaning white buildings using titanium dioxide cements are the Italian Pavilion at the 2015 World Expo in Milan and the Jubilee Church in Rome, inaugurated in 2007″: “Le titane : promesses et risques d’un dépolluant” in La civilisation des nanoproduits, 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, Constr. Build. Mater., 25, 582-590, 2011
  – Application of titanium dioxide photocatalysis to create self cleaning materials, Stamate, M.; Lazar, G. Model. Otpim. Mach.Build. Field (MOCM), 13 (3), 280-285, 2007 as cement, ceramics, paints, varnishes
  
• silver nanoparticles are used for their antibacterial or antifungal properties
  
• Aluminum oxide increases the scratch resistance of materials
  
• nanofoams (hydro-NM-oxide) and nanostructures provide good thermal and sound insulation.
  

What are the associated risks?

Health and environmental risks

The large-scale use of materials containing nanomaterials is not without risks for the environment and the health of exposed workers.

• In 2012, INERIS intervened publicly on the issue of Nanoparticles and construction 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 approach on nanos to the ANSES nano dialogue committee.
• In mid-2018, the High Council for Public Health(HCSP) published a reportCf.⁹Protecting workers and people in the vicinity of sites producing or handling titanium dioxide nanoparticles, High Council for Public Health, June 25, 2018 calling for the protection of workers and populations in the vicinity of industrial sites producing or handling nano-TiO2, with a set of practical recommendations for public authorities and industrialists. It recommended the following: “In the specific case of construction and recycling, additional research on the emissivity of street furniture should be conducted because it contains _TiO2 nanoparticles (nano-paving, nano-concrete, self-cleaning glass); their results should be communicated to occupational health services.

• In 2019, the European Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) SCHEER recalledCf.¹⁰Statement on emerging health and environmental issues, Scheer, 2018alerted on nanoparticles released into the environment by construction materials and waste (during renovation and demolition processes, during recycling, landfill or incineration but also when nanocoatings are not properly fixed, when they degrade). He recalled that nanoparticles that end up in aquatic systems can have adverse effects on aquatic and marine life and in soils. adverse effects on aquatic and marine life and in soils. Essential microbial interactions may be disrupted. He deplored thelack of regulations requiring the labeling or identification of building materials containing nanomaterials, which hinders the necessary identification of the sources and flows of nanomaterials that may be released – as well as the assessment of the risks they may pose.
• In 2019, an LNE webinar presented the risks associated with thermal degradation of nanomaterials in transportation and housing.

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

Economic risks

The risks are not only sanitary and environmental: they are also economic, especially for project owners. Indeed, asbestos removal is still very expensive today and still raises many questionsSee¹¹in particular 25 years of asbestos: the scandal continues, InfoDiag, Special Edition, September 2022. The authorities could be led to order the “denanoparticulation” of buildings, at the time of the renovation of paintings or deconstruction of a building for example, the owners will have to support the costs!

Faced with the risks, some precautions?

Since 2008, the Grand Council of the Republic and Canton of Geneva has advised against the use of TiO₂ nanoparticles on state construction sites and in private companies’ buildings¹²Health: straight into the wall… self-cleaning, Alternative Santé, January 6, 2016 and Report M 1741-A of the State Council to the Grand Council of Geneva, 2008based on a study carried out by the Cantonal Service of Industrial Toxicology and Protection against Indoor Pollution which considers that it is “irresponsible to use such a product before even researching the known hazards and assessing their risks”laments “the premature use of these products in Italy, France and Belgium” and wishes to “that these imprudences are not repeated on the territory of our Canton”.¹³Annex 2 of the previous document..

What is the research 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.