Exposure assessment and risks associated with wearing silver nanoparticle-coated textiles

Silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NP) are widely used in textiles designed for general population and healthcare. However, there is ongoing research and concern about the potential health risks associated with the release of nanoparticles into the environment. Here, the risk was studied for face mask, gloves and a full body suit use scenarios and for different skin types and Ag NPs to identify realistic exposure scenarios that can lead to excessive risk. The major risk was associated with unintentional finger mouthing after wearing gloves containing AgNPs. However, the current release test settings are not designed for NP release assessment from textiles during realistic use scenarios. This study emphasizes following good hygiene practices when wearing Ag containing textiles to avoid intake via oral exposure.