Are nanomaterials safe?
Nanomaterials are changing our world, and we still don't have procedures for checking them for safety
Nanomaterials are changing the world – but we still don’t have adequate safety tests for them (Shareen Doak et al., The Conversation).
Translation: Vyacheslav Golovanov, Habr
The nanotechnology industry has probably been discussed more often than others in recent years. There are forecasts that globally this sector will have a volume of $173.95 billion by 2025, and it already brings some benefits for sustainable development, health and well-being of society.
Nanomaterials, as the name implies, are extremely small – less than a millionth of a meter. They have unique physical and chemical properties that improve their capabilities, such as the ability to react, strength, electrical characteristics and functionality. Thanks to these advantages, nanomaterials are embedded in various consumer products. Industries such as automotive, computer, electronics, cosmetics, sports and healthcare industries benefit from nanotechnology innovations. There are also new areas of knowledge, for example, nanomedicine, which seeks to radically improve our capabilities for the treatment of diseases.
But, no matter how great it sounds, with each innovation we must take care to think about its impact on the environment and human health. And it's not easy to do this. Although standard methods of hazard assessment exist for a wide range of things – for example, chemical compounds – the unique properties of nanomaterials do not allow them to be evaluated in exactly the same way.
Environmental and human health
Nanomaterials are already penetrating our environment, albeit in small quantities. They are found in sewage because of products such as toothpaste, sunscreen, or socks with nanosilver (preventing unpleasant odor), which are washed in typewriters. Some environmental safety studies conducted for short periods of time show that many nanomaterials are adsorbed (form a thin film) on the surfaces of the epidermis of organisms such as algae and cladoceras. These materials are also distributed to the digestive systems and other organs of small creatures.
It is vital to properly understand the potential adverse effects of nanomaterials until they become widespread. At the moment, the long-term effects of nanomaterials entering the environment have not been studied. We do not know how the ingress of nanomaterials into the environment will affect the food chain. For example, they can affect the amount of nutrition, behavior and survival of various species.
We also know little about how nanomaterials can affect people in small doses over long periods of time. The most important ways of contact are the lungs, digestive system and skin. Nanomaterials are embedded in food and packaging, they can be inhaled or swallowed by workers in production. Tests have shown that once in the body, nanomaterials remain in the liver, but we do not know what risks they may pose in the long term.
The existing procedures for checking the safety of substances for human lungs, digestion and skin that do not use animals are overly simplified. For example, to determine the biological effect of inhaling nanomaterials, scientists grow the cellular system of one lung in the laboratory and expose it to nanomaterials suspended in liquid. However, there are more than 40 different types of cells in the human lung. Such tests are not able to accurately predict the potential harm associated with exposure to nanomaterials, and do not accurately model the complexity of the human body or how we encounter nanomaterials.
The next generation
The world has already faced the challenges brought by innovation. Given the world's experience with asbestos (although it has been used for thousands of years, the fact that it is a source of disease became known only in the XX century), with the controversial development of genetically modified food, the sensational crisis with microplastics, it is extremely important that developments in nanotechnology do not lead to similar health crises.
Our team of researchers is working to improve nanotechnology testing within the framework of the PATROLS project, funded by the Horizon 2020 program. We gather leading experts in nanosafety, ecotoxicology, tissue creation and computational modeling from around the world to take advantage of the best global practices and take action on the current limitations in testing.
We are already using advanced science to develop new models of lung, intestinal and liver tissues to assess the safety of nanomaterials. We are working on new safety assessment methods for environmental testing systems and organisms (including algae, cladocerus and danio rerio) selected according to their location in the food chain. The new generation of tests is designed to reduce dependence on animal testing, and promotes responsible development of the nanotechnology industry.
In addition, we are working on a way to predict the safety of nanomaterials for people and the environment based on computational models. This will make it possible to evaluate new nanomaterials using a computer database as an initial security check, before subsequent tests are performed.
By improving the quality of animal-free nanotechnology testing, we can help protect consumers, workers, and the environment from any health and safety risks they may potentially pose. Nanotechnology is already demonstrating the potential to improve our lives, and by improving our understanding of its safety, we can more confidently enjoy the benefits offered by this new technology.
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