Latest Nanotoxicology Stories
The same properties of nanoparticles that make them so appealing to manufacturers may also have negative effects on the environment and human health.However, little is known which particles may be harmful. Part of the problem is determining exactly what a nanoparticle is.A new analysis by an international team of researchers from the Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT), based at Duke University, argues for a new look at the way nanoparticles are selected when...
U.S. scientists say a major inter-laboratory study has resulted in an update in guidelines used to measure the size of nanoparticles in solutions. The study, organized principally by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory, enabled updated guidelines that now include statistically evaluated data, researchers said. The standards body ASTM International -- formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials -- used data...
U.S. biologists say they've found certain types of carbon nanoparticles are environmentally toxic to adult fruit flies, but benign when added to larvae food. The Brown University researchers say their findings might further reveal the environmental and health dangers of carbon nanoparticles that are widely used in medicines, electronics, optics, materials science and architecture. Professor David Rand and colleagues found larval Drosophila melanogaster showed no physical or reproductive...
A new study raises the possibility that flies and other insects that encounter nanomaterial "hot spots," or spills, near manufacturing facilities in the future could pick up and transport nanoparticles on their bodies, transferring the particles to other flies or habitats in the environment. The study on carbon nanoparticles "” barely 1/5,000th the width of a human hair "”is scheduled for the Aug. 15 issue of ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly...
Nanoparticles of titanium dioxide, used in air and water purification and self-cleaning surfaces, cause brain dysfunction in mice, a Japanese study indicated. The findings add to the current concern that this specific nanomaterial may have the potential to affect human health, Tokyo University of Science researchers said. The researchers, led by pharmaceutical sciences Professor Ken Takeda, said genes affected by titanium dioxide nanoparticles are associated with childhood disorders such as...
At a technical breakfast, Romain Quidant presented his research into the detection and treatment of cancer using gold nanoparticles illuminated with laser light. Quidant, who was recently awarded the Fresnel Prize 2009 that recognizes the highest level of excellence amongst emerging researchers in the field of photonics, is an ICREA researcher at the UPC's Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) and a fellow of the Cellex Foundation Barcelona."Drops" of gold that burn tumorsQuidant is among the...
Whether in the fields of medicine, sustainable energy supply or environmental protection, without making use of nanotechnology we will not be capable of overcoming the challenges which the future presents. In parallel with these efforts, though, it is essential that we examine the new technology very carefully for potential risks, such as those presented by free nano-particles. This is the conclusion drawn at the close of Empa's 3rd NanoConvention, held on July 6th in Zurich and attended by...
Singaporean scientists say they have developed nanoparticles that might lead to new treatments for meningitis, fungal infections and drug-resistant bacteria. Scientists at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology of Singapore said the stable bioengineered peptide nanoparticles effectively seek out and destroy bacteria and fungal cells that could cause fatal infections. The scientists said their nanoparticles contain a membrane-penetrating component that enables them to pass through...
Review article calls for measures to enable safe design of nanomaterialsThe recent explosion in the development of nanomaterials with enhanced performance characteristics for use in commercial and medical applications has increased the likelihood of people coming into direct contact with these materials.There are currently more than 800 products on the market "” including clothes, skin lotions and cleaning products "” claiming to have at least one nanocomponent, and therapeutic...
Scientists have now revealed how nanoparticles can cause lung damage. In the same research, they reported successfully being able to block the cancer-causing mechanism.Nanotechnology is a growing sector of research that involves the control of atoms and molecules to create new materials, including many that could have medical applications. Nanotechnology, as an industry, is expected to gain an annual market of about $1 trillion by 2015, researchers said in the June 11 issue of the Journal of...
