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Nano Safe Leather – The effect on human health of silver-titanium dioxide nanomaterials -treated leathers for footwear industry

Ecologic and health effects of applying materials with advanced functions for leather surface finishing are priorities for the European leather industry and contribute to the increase of added value and durability of leather and fur articles. The innovative properties of silver-titanium dioxide nanomaterials on leather surface are due to their antimicrobial, self-cleaning and flame retardant characteristics. Furthermore, it leads to a reduction of chemicals with high pollutant potential. The cytotoxicity study of the silver-titanium dioxide nanomaterials efficiency for leather functionalisation related to the dose response on human health is very important for their large scale application in footwear industry. In vitro assessment of the impact of silver-titanium dioxide nanomaterials use in leather surface finishing on different human cell lines will enrich knowledge regarding manufactured nanomaterials effects on human health at cellular level. Computer simulation analysis, which tests hypotheses with in silico experiments, will provide new information on the morphology of human cell.