engleski

After a decade, have we been naive? It is time to revamp ideas for an environmental safe handling of nanotechnology

The safe handling of nanotechnology has been a major issue for more than a decade now with health, environmental and technological implications. Because of the profound penetration of nanotechnology into almost every technological and scientific field, understanding and preventing possible risks related to exposure to these potentially toxic substances has been the centre of many studies and discussions at all levels in recent years. Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are becoming widespread with uses in products and processes ranging from medical applications to new industrial processes and from electronics to agriculture. Questions regarding the fate, transport and toxicity of ENMs in the environment and consequently what should and could be measured and what are the implications of exposure to ENMs are essential for the scientific community, regulators and consumers. Ten years ago Maynard et al. [1] offered a set of challenges and timeframes for “getting nanotechnology right without causing a major environmental time bomb”. What has happened in these ten years? What is the status of these challenges? On the basis of up-to-date recommendations, reports and scientific publications we discuss the relevant aspects of the detection, behaviour, environmental spread, and impact of ENMs and give the current status of what has been achieved so far and what is critically missing. New main goals are proposed that emphasize the development of analytical tools and the definition of standard methods and protocols for sampling and analysis for basic characterization of ENMs.

safety ; environmental risk ; assessment ; tools ; nanomaterials ; development

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