473
as to whether particular products containing nanoparticles might
or might not have toxicological consequences. This is certainly
the current case with cosmetics that use nanoparticles (see the
part on nanocosmetics in Section 10.4 and the following discussion) and can surely be expected to soon arise with nanotextiles that might be used for clothing. Use of nanomaterials in
agriculture will undoubtedly be highly scrutinized as well.
In general, we can expect that as more nano-based products move
into applications that come into contact with ever-increasing
numbers of people and exposures escalate, public awareness will
further increase and there will be reasonable demands for greater
certitude as to whether nano-based products are safe. Needs for
this same sense of certitude are similarly felt by the responsible scientific and product development community as well. The question
of whether this certitude is there or not is the focus of this section.
Those who seek blanket yes-or-no answers, however, are advised
to look elsewhere. If there is anything that is clearly suggested by
the literature in this area, it is that simple generalizations are not
supportable and that many open questions remain. Addressing this
subject in depth, however, is simply beyond the scope of this book.
Rather, we will seek to provide only a framework for thinking about
the problem.
Questions concerning health and environmental issues in relation
to nanomaterials are not unstudied. There are a number of studies
in this area, including review articles and several large symposia
or conferences held in the United States and European countries
that were specifically directed toward trying to understand the
extent to which nanomaterials pose a risk to either human health
or the environment (see Further Reading). In summary, several
common associated themes run throughout this literature. A first
and fundamental theme is that there is indeed great potentially
positive technological and societal merit in the use of nanomaterial
and nanotechnologies in many application domains that should
be valued and respected, but many open questions remain unaddressed concerning health impacts. A second theme is that though
it might seem that nanomaterials are entirely new and we have
little understanding of their health and environmental implications, there is actually a substantial relevant body of literature to be
found in toxicological studies of ultrafine particles with nanoscale
characteristics that have long been with us and whose effects have
been extensively studied and have been linked to such problems as
asbestosis or silicosis, albeit questions of the relevance of many of
these studies are often posed.
Health Concerns
as to whether particular products containing nanoparticles might
or might not have toxicological consequences. This is certainly
the current case with cosmetics that use nanoparticles (see the
part on nanocosmetics in Section 10.4 and the following discussion) and can surely be expected to soon arise with nanotextiles that might be used for clothing. Use of nanomaterials in
agriculture will undoubtedly be highly scrutinized as well.
In general, we can expect that as more nano-based products move
into applications that come into contact with ever-increasing
numbers of people and exposures escalate, public awareness will
further increase and there will be reasonable demands for greater
certitude as to whether nano-based products are safe. Needs for
this same sense of certitude are similarly felt by the responsible scientific and product development community as well. The question
of whether this certitude is there or not is the focus of this section.
Those who seek blanket yes-or-no answers, however, are advised
to look elsewhere. If there is anything that is clearly suggested by
the literature in this area, it is that simple generalizations are not
supportable and that many open questions remain. Addressing this
subject in depth, however, is simply beyond the scope of this book.
Rather, we will seek to provide only a framework for thinking about
the problem.
Questions concerning health and environmental issues in relation
to nanomaterials are not unstudied. There are a number of studies
in this area, including review articles and several large symposia
or conferences held in the United States and European countries
that were specifically directed toward trying to understand the
extent to which nanomaterials pose a risk to either human health
or the environment (see Further Reading). In summary, several
common associated themes run throughout this literature. A first
and fundamental theme is that there is indeed great potentially
positive technological and societal merit in the use of nanomaterial
and nanotechnologies in many application domains that should
be valued and respected, but many open questions remain unaddressed concerning health impacts. A second theme is that though
it might seem that nanomaterials are entirely new and we have
little understanding of their health and environmental implications, there is actually a substantial relevant body of literature to be
found in toxicological studies of ultrafine particles with nanoscale
characteristics that have long been with us and whose effects have
been extensively studied and have been linked to such problems as
asbestosis or silicosis, albeit questions of the relevance of many of
these studies are often posed.
Health Concerns