Toxicity of nanomaterials found in human environment: A literature review

The US National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) defines nanotechnology as “the understanding and control of matter at dimensions between approximately 1 and 100 nm, where unique phenomena enable novel applications.” Recent scientific reports available in the literature clearly demonstrate the potential benefits of nanotechnology in consumer and industrial products. More and more nanomaterials are expected to be used in consumer products. This is expected to lead to increased human exposure to nanomaterials in their daily lives. Therefore, the effect of nanomaterials present in human environment is an area of increasing scientific interest. The information presented in this review is obtained from the current literature. It indicates that nanomaterials found in human environment may have potential for toxicological effects. However, the current literature on toxicological effects of nanomaterials is diverse. The current data are presented from studies without harmonization. These studies have used differen...