Nanotechnology and the Environment

With respect to environment, the questions facing the modern world are how nanotechnology can be used to protect the environment and how nanotechnology might affect the environment or human health.

Topics include toxicology and biological interactions of nano-materials, nanoparticle geochemistry in water and air, metrology for nano-sized materials, nanotechnology-based sensors for biological and chemical parameters of environmental interest, environmentally benign manufacturing of nanomaterials, nanotechnology-enabled green energy and power sources, and treatment and remediation of waste streams and polluted sites.

Due to the size of nanomaterials like fullerenes, nanotubes, nanowires, nanoshells, and the like - typically one billionth of a meter, that is to say approximately 70 times smaller than a red blood cell in size and close to a DNA molecule in diameter.

There is concern that these dimensions might allow them to penetrate the skin and possibly even elude the immune system to reach the brain.

From an environmental standpoint, issues such as pace and strength with which nanomaterials may bind to organisms and non-living species in water, soil, and air, as well as their stability over time and potential bioaccumulation in the food chain, call for immediate attention.

However, there is no scientific evidence to support the notion that nanoparticles and nanotubes, the basic components of nanotechnology-based products, pose risks to human health and the environment.

Today the risk is not an actual risk but a perceived risk. Nevertheless, research in the field of nanomaterials toxicology is going on, and soon we may come to know better regarding the potential risks and benefits of nanotechnology.