Nanoparticles are added to food, fabrics, cosmetics and drugs with few controls – and often end up in the sea. Now scientists are asking how safe they are
We need to make sure nanos are only allowed for specific and essential uses in order to minimise any adverse effectsFrom a health perspective, inhalation is the most harmful route of exposure to nanos such as TiOfor factory workers and consumers. Avicenn’s tests concluded that the average particle size was 4.9nm, and all 300 particles analysed were below the official nano threshold of 100nm.
Many nanos do not persist for long in the environment. However, because they are consistently being discharged, levels remain fairly constant. “Nanos are ‘pseudo-persistent’ because they degrade quite quickly but they keep entering the environment,” Voulvoulis says. Other scientists suggest the opposite: that organic matter in sewage coat nanoparticles, rendering them less active. And others fear nanos could trigger– making them more harmful in combination than individual substances would be separately.
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