Nanosafety: An Evolving Concept to Bring the Safest Possible Nanomaterials to Society and Environment

The use of nanomaterials has been increasing in recent times, and they are widely used in industries such as cosmetics, drugs, food, water treatment, and agriculture. The rapid development of new nanomaterials demands a set of approaches to evaluate the potential toxicity and risks related to them....

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Filipa Lebre, Nivedita Chatterjee, Samantha Costa, Eli Fernández-de-Gortari, Carla Lopes, João Meneses, Luís Ortiz, Ana R. Ribeiro, Vânia Vilas-Boas, Ernesto Alfaro-Moreno
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-05-01
Series:Nanomaterials
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/11/1810
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Summary:The use of nanomaterials has been increasing in recent times, and they are widely used in industries such as cosmetics, drugs, food, water treatment, and agriculture. The rapid development of new nanomaterials demands a set of approaches to evaluate the potential toxicity and risks related to them. In this regard, nanosafety has been using and adapting already existing methods (toxicological approach), but the unique characteristics of nanomaterials demand new approaches (nanotoxicology) to fully understand the potential toxicity, immunotoxicity, and (epi)genotoxicity. In addition, new technologies, such as organs-on-chips and sophisticated sensors, are under development and/or adaptation. All the information generated is used to develop new in silico approaches trying to predict the potential effects of newly developed materials. The overall evaluation of nanomaterials from their production to their final disposal chain is completed using the life cycle assessment (LCA), which is becoming an important element of nanosafety considering sustainability and environmental impact. In this review, we give an overview of all these elements of nanosafety.
ISSN:2079-4991