News from research on the risks and opportunities of nanotechnology

Are nanomaterials dangerous?

The question of how dangerous nanomaterials actually are for humans and our living environment has been occupying researchers for more than two decades. The tiny particles exist naturally, they are created unintentionally by human activity or they are produced intentionally for various purposes. Nanomaterials are used in numerous industrial products such as sun creams, textiles, medical products or electrical devices. Nanotechnology is regarded as a key technology of the 21st century, which is why it can be assumed that the use of nanomaterials will continue to grow in the future and that the amount that is unintentionally released into the environment will therefore increase. To answer the question of the danger of nanoparticles for humans and the environment, two comprehensive publications have recently appeared.

Are nanomaterials absorbed through food?

The toxicity of a substance alone is not enough to determine its hazardousness. The probability of drowning is extremely low if I avoid jumping into the lake, the sea or a pool. An exposure analysis is therefore the second decisive component of the risk analysis.
When exposed to potentially hazardous substances, the body still protects organisms relatively well, but absorption into the system and subsequent distribution is quite possible. Nanomaterials could circulate in the body via the skin, through respiration or via the digestive tract and possibly cause (long-term) damage to cells and organs. The EU project Nanofase has now produced a publication that has determined in a particularly comprehensive way how well the barrier of the digestive tract protects a large number of species from nanomaterials. The analysis includes data on various living organisms, including insects and other invertebrates, fish, birds and mammals. The researchers also identified a knowledge gap for reptiles and amphibians. For those creatures for which data are available, the digestive tract, formed over thousands of years by evolution, forms an excellent barrier that protects against potentially harmful foreign substances, according to the authors.
Some invertebrates, for example earthworms, on the other hand, have specialized, so-called migratory cells that can absorb nanomaterials and attach them to the intestinal wall. This increases the potential risk due to the increased probability of exposure. For vertebrates (which include humans), however, this process is not present.
The study is of great importance because it combines the vast zoological knowledge of the last 100 years or so with more recent findings on the dynamics and hazards of nanomaterials. Unfortunately, however, the study cannot give the all clear: hazardous substances can accumulate along the food chain and thus cause damage over longer periods of time and possibly in unexpected places.

RiskGONE - Whitepaper - With risk assessment to full potential

On the other hand, nanotechnologies can also produce improved materials that require fewer resources or make processes more efficient. Against the background of global climate change, such possibilities must be considered in order to achieve the goals of sustainable development. - Perhaps nanotechnologies are indispensable for this. For this potential to be fully exploited, there must also be a scientifically sound risk assessment. In view of the adjustments in REACH in force since the beginning of this year with regard to nanomaterials, experts from the EU project RiskGONE have created an overview of the current status of risk assessment in the white paper "Risk Governance of emerging technologies demonstrated in terms of its applicability to nanomaterials" and also shed light on the theoretical foundations for nano risk management. Despite progress in the risk assessment of nanomaterials, the authors state that there is still no reliable methodology for risk management. For this reason, they propose a framework for the effective and transparent handling of risks. For the implementation and practical application of this framework, a European committee will also be created in conjunction with RiskGONE and two other projects, Gov4Nano and NANORIGO. This should allow the potential of nanotechnology to be fully exploited with scientifically sound risk assessment. The authors of the white paper also emphasize that the tools they propose could also be used for novel materials and technologies. The study thus provides an important starting point for the future of risk research.

Author: Alex von Wyl

Sources:
Environmental Science: Nano - The gut barrier and the fate of engineered nanomaterials: a view from comparative physiology
Small - Risk Governance of Emerging Technologies Demonstrated in Terms of its Applicability to Nanomaterials