Advances in nanotechnology have fueled the development of products and devices that address needs in medicine, engineering, and electronics.  The great diversity in applications and nanomaterial physicochemistry, along with high production volumes in some cases, has led to concerns about adverse health outcomes that might result from unintentional exposures.  Over the last decade, much has been learned about the mechanisms by which some classes of nanomaterials exert toxicity.  There are, however, significant knowledge gaps that present challenges for fitting this mechanistic information into a comprehensive understanding of human and environmental health risk.  First, there is a relative dearth of nanomaterial-specific exposure data amid a growing recognition that exposures are likely to be complex, particularly when the entire product lifecycle is considered.  Secondly, little is understood about if and how nanomaterials are delivered to target tissues and if they undergo physicochemical changes as they are transported and accumulate in tissues.  Thirdly, the dose that accumulates in target tissues is largely unknown.  Lastly, while much has been learned about the physicochemical properties that are linked to adverse outcomes, there is a remaining need to determine if the relationships hold true across a wide range of diverse nanomaterials.  Addressing these questions in the context of both realistic exposure conditions and what is known at present about response mechanisms is the immediate need for future research and will ensure the safer development of nanomaterial-containing products.<br/>

The future of nanotoxicology research: Filling knowledge gaps to safeguard health

256th National Meeting (2018)

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