No nano-dust danger from façade paint
After 42 months the EU research project «NanoHouse» has
ended, and the verdict is a cautious "all clear" – nanoparticles in
the paint used on building façades do not represent a particular health risk.
In the course of a «Technology Briefing» Empa researchers discussed these
results with specialists from the construction industry.
Five Empa laboratories were involved in the EU «NanoHouse»
project, along with four other European research institutes and four industrial
partners. The aim of the project was to investigate the opportunities and risks
presented by the nanomaterials used in the surface coatings applied to building
façades. For the first time not only were freshly manufactured products studied
to see if they set free nanoparticles, but also aged samples.