Environmental And Human Health Impacts Of Nanotechnology

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

An increased understanding of the environmental and human healthimpacts of engineered nanoparticles is essential for theresponsible development of nanotechnology and appropriateevidence-based policy and guidelines for risk assessment.Presenting the latest advances in the field from a variety ofscientific disciplines, this book offers a comprehensive overviewof this challenging, inter-disciplinary research area. Topics covered include: The properties, preparation and applications ofnanomaterials Characterization and analysis of manufacturednanoparticles The fate and behaviour of nanomaterials in aquatic, terrestrialand atmospheric environments Ecotoxicology and human toxicology of manufacturednanoparticles Occupational health and exposure of nanomaterials Risk assessment and global regulatory and policy responses Understanding the behaviour and impacts of nanotechnology in theenvironment and in human health is a daunting task and manyquestions remain to be answered. Environmental and Human HealthImpacts of Nanotechnology will serve as a valuable resource foracademic researchers in nanoscience and nanotechnology,environmental science, materials science and biology, as well asfor scientists in industry, regulators and policy makers.

Nanotechnology is often described as an emerging technology - one that not only holds promise for society, but also is capable of revolutionizing our approaches to common problems. Nanotechnology is not a completely new field; however, it is only recently that discoveries in this field have advanced so far as to warrant examination of their impact upon the world around us. Nanotechnology has direct beneficial applications for medicine and the environment, but like all technologies it may have unintended effects that can adversely impact the environment, both within the human body and within the natural ecosystem. How does the science move forward in a way that best protects the public and gets health and safety right the first time? Implications of Nanotechnology for Environmental Health Research identifies the areas in which additional research is needed and the processes by which changes can occur.

Nanotechnology is a much talked about, and rapidly expanding area of science, which is sometimes little understood. It looks set to make a significant impact on human life and, with numerous commercial developments emerging, will become a major industry over the coming years. Nanotechnology can be broadly described as developing or exploiting products at nanometre dimensions (i.e. as having one dimension less than 100 nanometres). Such materials have a larger surface area to volume ratio than conventional materials which provides them with an increased level of reactivity, and consequently, toxicity per unit mass. This book sets the subject into context by first of all describing the current range of products containing nano-materials and then looking at the consequences for the environment and human health relating to the introduction of nanoparticles and nano-tubes. Nanotechnology: Consequences for Human Health and the Environment discusses some of the more controversial issues associated with the field including: nanoparticles in the environment, occupational exposure, toxicological properties, human health issues and safety. This authoritative and comprehensive book will be of interest to both scientists and technologists but also to regulators and government.

This book is divided into four main sections thoroughly analyzing the use of nanomaterials for water, air and soil solutions, and emphasizing environmental risks. Providing background on nanomaterials' two-decade study, it discusses the characterization and application of unconventional disinfectants, called antimicrobial nanomaterials, which fall into three categories and, while seemingly harmless, have potential hazards if applied improperly. Special attention is given to the process of remediation, synthetics techniques, and properties of nanomaterials, with examples to which new and trained readers in the field can relate and understand. an interdisciplinary approach, aimed at scientists in physical chemistry, nanotechnology, and environmental sciences includes applications of non-conventional techniques in environmental protection furthers the development of applied nanoscience and nanotechnology suggests new industrial projects and university courses addressing nanotechnology in and for the environment includes applications for water, air and soil protection

This comprehensive book covers various aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology and what is known about the potential environmental and health impacts. Divided into three main sections, the book addresses the toxicity of nanomaterials, fate and transport of nanomaterials in the environment, and occupational health aspects of nanotechonology.

Addressing medium- and long-term expectations for human health, this book reviews current scientific and technical developments in nanotechnology for biomedical, agrofood, and environmental applications. This collection of perspectives on the ethical, legal, and societal implications of bionanotechnology provides unique insight into contemporary te

In the last decade, nanomaterials have become a double-edged sword. On one hand, nanomaterials have proven their limitless potential not only for technological applications, but also for medical ones. On the other hand, the increasing use of these nanomaterials has raised concerns regarding their safety for environmental and human health, due to their potential toxicity. The toxic effects of nanomaterials depend on their type, surface geometry, diameter, length and function. This book intends to provide a comprehensive evidence-based overview of nanomaterial toxicity, from their synthesis and characterization, environmental impact, tests to assess their toxicity in vitro and in vivo, ways to modulate their impact on living organisms, to their beneficial use in biomedical applications.