Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are artificially created objects that have at least one dimension between 1-100 nm and can exhibit physicochemical properties different from their bulk material counterparts. Textiles often contain silver nanomaterials to take advantage of silver’s antibacterial properties, which prevent odour in textiles during use. Recent research has shown that silver nanomaterials (AgNMs) are released from textiles during their active life cycle which can pose a risk to microbial communities in environmental systems. The objective of this study is to develop representative methods for the artificial wearing of silver-containing textiles which will be compared to data from previously performed true wearing scenarios.  The experimental set-up involved the physical stretching of silver-treated textiles with a 3D printed apparatus inspired by techniques used in the textile manufacturing industry. Following physical pre-treatment, textiles were washed in a detergent solution at parameters closely mimicking typical laundry conditions. Wash water samples were analyzed through a combined suite of characterization techniques including: SP-ICP-MS, size fractionation via filtering, SEM/EDX, DLS and XRF. It was found that artificial wearing of the textile had a significant effect on the concentration (~60% increase) and the size morphology (higher percentage of smaller particles) of silver released during a first wash cycle, when compared to an unworn textile. It was also found that wash solutions made with deionized water resulted in a higher silver release (~85%) when compared tap water wash solutions. This indicates silver release characteristics could vary geographically based on the water chemistry of the area.  Future plans include the incorporation of artificial sweat, further exploration of the relationship between water chemistry and silver release, and investigations into silver-release mechanisms. Successful development of an artificial wearing method will lend itself to use in ecotoxicity studies, which currently use pristine materials that are not necessarily representative of realistic exposures.

Release of silver nanomaterials from textiles: Influence of artificial wearing on nanomaterial characteristics

256th National Meeting (2018)

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