doi:10.1039/c4en00060aengGomez, V.Clemente, A.Irusta, S.Balas, F.Santamaria, J.Identification of TiO2 nanoparticles using La and Ce as labels: Application to the evaluation of surface contamination during the handling of nanosized matterART-2014-98830Distinguishing nanomaterials of interest from background nanosized matter already present in the sampling environment is a challenging task. In this study, we propose the use of rare earth elements (REEs) as high-sensitivity labels to identify and to monitor their fate following manipulation. The REE labels were added during the synthesis of TiO<inf>2</inf> nanoparticles with hydrodynamic sizes of 15 nm. The REE-labelled nanomaterials allow the monitoring of nanoparticle aerosols formed during handling of nanoparticulate materials in a glove box. The deposition of the labelled TiO<inf>2</inf> nanoparticles on working surfaces could be verified by electron microscopy and surface analysis, using the presence of lanthanide elements as an identification label. The total amount of TiO<inf>2</inf> nanoparticles in the deposited material could be quantified by a procedure based on wiping the deposition area followed by digestion of the collected matter and analysis by flame emission spectrometry. © 2014 the Partner Organisations.2014http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/6160310.1039/c4en00060ahttp://zaguan.unizar.es/record/61603oai:zaguan.unizar.es:61603Environmental science. Nano 1, 5 (2014), 496-503All rights reservedhttp://www.europeana.eu/rights/rr-f/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess