Safety and quality: new goals for Directa Plus
Health, Safety and Environmental Protection
Directa Plus has always put the health and safety of people and the environment above all else. We take, since our company was established, a proactive approach to health, safety and environmental protection by monitoring our production process and products, and continuously reviewing our policies so they are in line with the latest research on nanomaterials.
Sustainability first
Our approach has always been based on respect for, and protection of, the environment. This ethos is put into practice from the selection of the raw material and continues throughout our entire process. As a result, Directa Plus products and technology can always offer the competitive advantage of environmental sustainability:
• Chemical-free production process
• Abundant, safe and non-toxic natural resource
• Safe and clean technology
• Low energy use and limited waste
• Recyclability or second life of products, such as Grafysorber™: exhausted material can be re-used and recycled
Health protection
Directa Plus is the first company among producers and suppliers of graphene-based products to conduct and promote extensive research on the impact of nanomaterials on human health and in the workplace and to advocate the adoption of stringent safety procedures.
As part of this, Directa Plus was a key participant in the MULAN programme (MULtilevel Approach to the study of Nanomaterials Health and Safety), which ran from October 2013 to February 2016. Founded by the Fondazione Cariplo, it was a collaboration between four Italian universities (University of Milan, University of Pavia, University of Milan-Bicocca and Insubria University) and the Fondazione Don Gnocchi Onlus.
Under the MULAN programme, Directa Plus evaluated the following parameters:
• Concentration of nanoparticles in urban environments (outdoor and indoor) and in occupational settings
• Exposure to nanoparticles of people working with nanomaterials
Most importantly for Directa Plus, the programme concluded that none of the G+ products tested at any concentration are toxic or cytotoxic, which means they do not have a toxic effect on cells.
We continue to collaborate with Insubria University and, as our production activity increases, to evaluate the production plant in order to regularly verify particulate levels in the workplace.
Toxicology screening
Directa Plus is the first company in the world in its field to have conducted, and published the results of, a series of toxicology screening tests to independently certify the non-toxicity and non-cytotoxicity of its products. For the categories listed below, we have received certifications for both our Basic G+/Grafysorber™ and Pure G+ products.
• EYE IRRITATION
• SKIN CORROSION
• SKIN IRRITATION
• CYTOTOXICITY
• GENOTOXICITY
• REPRODUCTIVE TOXICITY
• SENSITIZING POTENTIAL
Download all the PURE G+ certificates
Download all the BASIC G+/GRAFYSORBER certificates
Safety measures & procedures
We have adopted the following safety measures and procedures for our entire G+ production process in order to minimise risk:
• The G+ production units are contained within boxes equipped with air conditioning, aspiration and filtering systems. The boxes also guarantee a thermal and acoustic barrier
• The air filtration system ensures the expulsion of process gases and guarantees a high air renewal rate
• All staff members attend safety courses. They are equipped with the best individual protection devices available on the market and follow procedures that are continually updated to guarantee maximum safety
• The Expansion unit of our production plant is CE certified, and we are working towards receiving CE certification of the entire production plant and of our production processes
We also continually monitor the following safety aspects of our G+ production process:
• The characteristics of the nanomaterial
• The concentration of possible nanoparticles (number of nanoparticles/cm3) in different work areas
• Possible localised emissions or the spread of acid derived from intercalated graphite
• Possible localised emissions or the spread of crystalline silica
• Identification of the presence of other potentially, directly or indirectly, dangerous substances