Nanotechnology safety is the practice of handling engineered nanomaterials in production and manufacturing. Good practice consists of understanding and interpreting Material Safety Data Sheets, behaving safely when working with yet unknown nanomaterials, understanding health effects, and proactively creating safety measures against potential hazards. This book addresses nanotechnology risk management.
This book reviews the application of Nanobiotechnology in the development of Nanomedicine, while also discussing the latest trends and challenges in the clinical translation of Nanomedicine. Nanomedicine refers to the application of Nanotechnology to medicine and holds tremendous potential for achieving improved efficiency, bioavailability, dose response, personalized medicine and enhanced safety as compared to conventional medicines. The book first introduces readers to the basic concepts of Nanomedicine, and to technological advances in and applications of Nanotechnology in treatment, diagnosis, monitoring, and drug delivery. In turn, it reviews the current status of multi-functionalization strategies for using Nanoparticles in the targeted delivery of therapeutic agents. The book’s third and final section focuses on the regulatory and safety challenges posed by Nanomedicine, including industry and regulatory agencies’ efforts to address them.
Handbook of Nanosafety: Measurement, Exposure and Toxicology, written by leading international experts in nanosafety, provides a comprehensive understanding of engineered nanomaterials (ENM), current international nanosafety regulation, and how ENM can be safely handled in the workplace. Increasingly, the importance of safety needs to be considered when promoting the use of novel technologies like ENM. With its use of case studies and exposure scenarios, Handbook of Nanosafety demonstrates techniques to assess exposure and risks and how these assessments can be applied to improve workers' safety. Topics covered include the effects of ENM on human health, characterization of ENM, aerosol dynamics and measurement, exposure and risk assessment, and safe handling of ENM. Based on outcomes from the NANODEVICE initiative, this is an essential resource for those who need to apply current nanotoxicological thinking in the workplace and anyone who advises on nanosafety, such as professionals in toxicology, occupational safety and risk assessment. - Multi-authored book, written by leading researchers in the field of nanotoxicology and nanosafety - Features state-of-the-art physical and chemical characterization of engineered nanomaterials (ENM) - Develops strategies for exposure assessment, risk assessment and risk management - Includes practical case studies and exposure scenarios to demonstrate how you can safely use ENM in the workplace
Since its advent, nanotechnologies are considered key enabling technologies that take advantage of a wide array of nanomaterials (NMs) for biomedical and industrial applications generating significant societal and economic benefits. However, such innovation increases human exposure to these substances through inhalation, ingestion or dermal contact raising public health concerns. Furthermore, the NMs’ specific physicochemical properties, that confer them unique beneficial characteristics, can also elicit nano-bio interactions leading to toxicity and concerns for public health. In addition, such properties can be affected by the surrounding matrix, particularly when incorporated in complex matrices such as food products, leading to secondary features potentially more relevant than primary characteristics for determining their toxicological outcome. These nano specific issues raise the question of whether the NMs may produce adverse outcomes that are not accounted for when using conventional toxicological approaches to assess their safety. Such uncertainties about the safety of NMs for human health and the environment may hamper a faster and more widespread exploration of their potentials. In response, the NMs definition has evolved, and nanotoxicology has developed towards new and more integrative approach methods to support regulatory and policy actions. This book provides a perspective on recent developments in the synthesis, application, and characterization of NMs and the related nanotechnologies, focusing on nanotoxicology for their accurate safety assessment early in the product development stage. The use of complex in vitro models, including multicellular systems and organoids, and “omics-based” approaches, such as transcriptomics or epigenomics, have greatly contributed to an in-depth understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms behind some NMs toxicity. Such mechanistic knowledge is equally addressed in this book and has set the basis for a predictive nanotoxicology approach building on adverse outcome pathways. In addition, considering the knowledge provided by the above-mentioned approaches, insights into risk assessment, standardization, and regulation of NMs are also included. Incorporating adequate nanosafety assessment early in the life-cycle of NMs will allow the implementation of the safe and sustainable-by-design paradigm enabling safety to keep pace with innovation. Chapters 10 and 15 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
Examining one of the fastest growing industries in the world, Ronit Justo-Hanani compares the distinctly different approaches between both sides of the Atlantic when regulating the health, safety and environmental risks of nanotechnology and its novel properties.
Should you adopt nanotechnology? If you have already adopted it, what do you need to know? What are the risks? Nanomaterials and nanotechnologies are revolutionizing the ways we treat disease, produce energy, manufacture products, and attend to our daily wants and needs. To continue to capture the promise of these transformative products, however, we need to ask critical questions about the broader impacts of nanotechnology on society and the environment. Exploring these questions, the second edition of Nanotechnology: Health and Environmental Risks gives you the latest tools to understand the risks of nanotechnology and make better decisions about using it. Examining the state of the science, the book discusses what is known, and what still needs to be understood, about nanotechnology risk. It looks at the uses of nanotechnology for energy, industry, medicine, technology, and consumer applications and explains how to determine whether there is risk—even when there is little reliable evidence—and how to manage it. Contributors cover a wide range of topics, including: Current concerns, among them perceived risks and the challenges of evaluating emerging technology A historical perspective on product safety and chemicals policy The importance of being proactive about identifying and managing health and environmental risks during product development How the concepts of sustainability and life cycle assessment can guide nanotechnology product development Methods for evaluating nanotechnology risks, including screening approaches and research How to manage risk when working with nanoscale materials at the research stage and in occupational environments What international organizations are doing to address risk issues How risk assessment can inform environmental decision making Written in easy-to-understand language, without sacrificing complexity or scientific accuracy, this book offers a wide-angle view of nanotechnology and risk. Supplying cutting-edge approaches and insight, it explains what types of risks could exist and what you can do to address them. What’s New in This Edition Updates throughout, reflecting advances in the field, new literature, and policy developments A new chapter on nanotechnology risk communication, including insights into risk perceptions and the mental models people use to evaluate technological risks An emphasis on developing nanotechnology products that are sustainable in the long term Advances in the understanding of nanomaterials toxicity Cutting-edge research on occupational exposure to nanoparticles Changes in the international landscape of organizations working on the environmental, health, and safety aspects of nanotechnologies
The immune system has the double role of maintaining tissue integrity and homeostasis and of protecting the organism from possible dangers, from invading pathogens to environmentally-borne dangerous chemicals. New chemicals recognisable by the immune system are engineered nanomaterials/ nanoparticles, new agents in our environment that are becoming common due to their presence in many products, from constructions and building material (e.g., solar cells, pigments and paints, tilesand masonry materials) to daily products (e.g., food packaging, cosmetics, and cigarettes). Human beings can be accidentally exposed to engineered nanomaterials when these are released from products containing them or during production in workplaces. Furthermore, intentional exposure occurs in medicine, as engineered nanoparticles are used as tools for improving delivery of drugs and vaccines, vaccine adjuvants and contrast agents in therapeutic, preventive and diagnostic strategies. Nanoparticles that come in contact with the immune system after unintentional exposure need to be eliminated from the organism as they represent a potential threat. In this case, however, due to their peculiar characteristics of size, shape, surface charge and persistence, nanoparticles may elicit undesirable reactions and have detrimental effects on the immune system, such as cytotoxicity, inflammation, anaphylaxis, immunosuppression. Conversely, nanomedicines need to escape immune recognition/elimination and must persist in the organism long enough for reaching their target and exerting their beneficial effects. Immune cells and molecules at the body surface (airway and digestive mucosae, skin) are the first that come in contact with nanomaterials upon accidental exposure, while immune effectors in blood are those that more easily come in contact with nanomedical products. Thus, evaluating the interaction of the immune system with nanoparticles/nanomaterials is a topic of key importance both in nanotoxicology and in nanomedicine. Immuno-nanosafety studies consider both accidental exposure to nanoparticles, which may occur by skin contact, ingestion or inhalation (at doses and with a frequency that are not known), and medical exposure, which takes place with a defined administration schedule (route, dose, frequency). Many studies focus on the interaction between the immune system and nanoparticles that, for medical purposes, have been specifically modified to stimulate immunity or to avoid immune recognition, as in the case of vaccine carriers/adjuvants or drug delivery systems, respectively. The aims of this Research Topic is to provide an overview of recent strategies: 1.for assessing the immunosafety of engineered nanomaterials/nanoparticles, in particular in terms of activation of inflammatory responses, such as complement activation and allergic reactions, based on the nanomaterial intrinsic characteristics and on the possible carry-over of bioactive contaminants such as LPS. Production of new nanoparticles taking into account their effects on immune responses, in order to avoid undesirable effects on one hand, and to design particles with desirable effects for medical applications on the other hand; 2.for designing more effective nanomedicines by either avoiding or exploiting their interaction with the immune systems, with particular focus on cancer diagnosis and therapy, and vaccination. This collection of articles gives a comprehensive view of the state-of-the-art of the interaction of nanoparticles with the immune system from the two perspectives of safety and medical use, and aims at providing immunologists with the relevant knowledge for designing improved strategies for immunologically safe nanomaterial applications.
This book describes how man-made litter, primarily plastic, has spread into the remotest parts of the oceans and covers all aspects of this pollution problem from the impacts on wildlife and human health to socio-economic and political issues. Marine litter is a prime threat to marine wildlife, habitats and food webs worldwide. The book illustrates how advanced technologies from deep-sea research, microbiology and mathematic modelling as well as classic beach litter counts by volunteers contributed to the broad awareness of marine litter as a problem of global significance. The authors summarise more than five decades of marine litter research, which receives growing attention after the recent discovery of great oceanic garbage patches and the ubiquity of microscopic plastic particles in marine organisms and habitats. In 16 chapters, authors from all over the world have created a universal view on the diverse field of marine litter pollution, the biological impacts, dedicated research activities, and the various national and international legislative efforts to combat this environmental problem. They recommend future research directions necessary for a comprehensive understanding of this environmental issue and the development of efficient management strategies. This book addresses scientists, and it provides a solid knowledge base for policy makers, NGOs, and the broader public.
This book aims to address how nanotechnology risks are being addressed by scientists, particularly in the areas of human health and the environment and how these risks can be measured in financial terms for insurers and regulators. It provides a comprehensive overview of nanotechnology risk measurement and risk transfer methods, including a chapter outlining how Bayesian methods can be used. It also examines nanotechnology from a legal perspective, both current and potential future outcomes. The global market for nanotechnology products was valued at $22.9 billion in 2013 and increased to about $26 billion in 2014. This market is expected to reach about $64.2 billion by 2019, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.8% from 2014 to 2019. Despite the increasing value of nanotechnologies and their widespread use, there is a significant gap between the enthusiasm of scientists and nanotechnology entrepreneurs working in the nanotechnology space and the insurance/regulatory sector. Scientists are scarcely aware that insurers/regulators have concerns about the potential for human and environmental risk and insurers/regulators are not in a position to access the potential risk. This book aims to bridge this gap by defining the current challenges in nanotechnology across disciplines and providing a number of risk management and assessment methodologies. Featuring contributions from authors in areas such as regulation, law, ethics, management, insurance and manufacturing, this volume provides an interdisciplinary perspective that is of value to students, academics, researchers, policy makers, practitioners and society in general.
Nanotechnology is a new and emerging discipline that is multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. The usage of nanosystems, nanomaterials, nano-devices, etc. permeates all aspects of society. Cancer targeting and curing nanosystems are being introduced into the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries; so are lightweight energy absorbing or blast-proof nanohybrid material in the aerospace, automotive and marine industries and high-efficiency energy harvesting nanomaterials, etc. Society has a vested interest in knowing how these new materials, devices and systems are changing the economy and similar landscapes. The book outlines the regulatory and environmental issues related to nanotechnology per industry, offers guidelines in assessing the risks and discusses the legal and socioeconomical issues involved. Case studies will be utilized to provide examples of the positive and negative impacts of nanotechnology. - Provides an overview and the basis for understanding the critical importance of the reactivity and efficacy of nanomaterials and the emerging role of nanotechnology in society - Explains the fundamentals, ethics, regulatory and environmental issues of nanosafety and how they shape the emerging nanotechnology industry and markets and includes extensive lists of glossary terms, terminologies and concepts needed for Material Data Safety Sheets - Discusses the relevance and specificity of nanosafety issues per industry and includes discussions on the "Homeland Security and Infrastructure Industries" of interest to society in general - Includes nanotechnology risk assessment and delineates and quantifies the risk assessment process for nanotechnology safety of paramount importance to most industries and systems - Outlines the legal and intellectual property ramifications of nanotechnology and its impact on productivity and society
