Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology

Nanotechnology is a field of science that aims to control individual atoms and molecules to design and manufacture extremely small electronic circuits and mechanical devices. These devices are built at the molecular level of matter. The basic unit of measurement in nanotechnology is the nanometer. The metric prefix ‘nano’ indicates a billionth part (10-9). Thus, a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. Nanotechnology is concerned with structures between 1nm and 100 nm in size.

The term ‘nanotechnology’ was popularized by K. Eric Drexler in the 1980’s. Since then it has been widely used in electronics, medicine, bio-sensing, cosmetics, diagnostics and drug delivery and even in the food industry. In August 2008, the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies revealed that about 803 nanotech products are available for public use. Since then nearly 3-4 nanotech products have been introduced in the market each week.

Despite the widespread applications of nanotechnology, several concerns have been raised about its implications. The biggest area of concern is the impact of nanomaterials on human health and environment. These issues form the basis of the field of nanotoxicology. Nanoparticles have been observed to show unique properties compared to their larger counterparts. Nanotoxicology studies the extent of damage caused by the nanoparticles.

Extensive research on the dangers of nanotechnology has been carried out in the past few years. In a research conducted by the University of Texas, it was found that carbon nanotubes squirted into the trachea of mice caused serious inflammation of the lungs and granulomas. A granuloma is a tumor-like mass or nodule of bloated white blood cells in the lining of the lungs. About half of the mice treated to higher doses of the nanoparticles died. In a similar research in Japan, researchers showed that carbon nanotubes caused the red blood cells in mice to clump and the blood to clot. Researchers have also found an increased susceptibility to clotting in rabbits that had inhaled carbon nanoparticles. A recent study reported that alumina nanoparticles had a toxic effect on five plant species namely corn, cucumber, soybean, cabbage and carrot. The nanoparticles retarded the growth of roots in these plants. Studies that estimate the effect of nanoparticles on human health have also gained momentum recently. Toxicologists suggest that nanoparticles in air can cause adverse health effects and even death. Nanoparticles in the lungs enter the circulatory system. From there, they travel throughout the body and accumulate in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow. The particles inhaled through the nose and air passages accumulate in the brain.

However, the pace of these research efforts is slow. Most scientists believe that it will take several years to clearly assess the health and environmental risks of Nanotechnology and the extent of Nanotoxicology.

Linus Orakles
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