The risk of nanoparticles
Nanotechnology is a science that has been applied in many areas recently, it involves the development of products and processes at the manometric scale ranging from 1 nm to 100 nm. This emerging technology is still under development but has already proven to have many effective applications, such as treating diseases more efficiently, producing new materials that are harder than steel, batteries that store more energy, and cosmetic products that are brighter or rejuvenate the skin. These and many other applications that seem to be straight out of science fiction could soon become a reality.
Nanotechnology includes the development of products at the manometric scale. Image credit: pixnio.com.
However, despite their great potential, they still represent a risk to health and the environment. And their environmental considerations are fundamental precisely because as a technology still in the development stage, their use is not regulated and therefore it is not obligatory for them to appear on the list of components of products that we may be using on a daily basis. This is worrying because nanomaterials can be dangerous in the long term, as they are difficult to measure and because of their size they can penetrate cells and accumulate in our organism.
But the long-term impact of all nanoparticles has not yet been investigated, but several individual findings give us a warning about their possible effects. In this regard, a new study published in the journal Nature communications has shed light on the adverse effects of nanoparticles on the environment. A group of researchers has developed a method to detect and track nanoparticles in blood and tissues, thus determining the presence of nanomaterials in an aquatic food chain.
The study used the number and mass of nanoparticles as a metric to better understand the trophic transfer of gold (Au) nanoparticles, which are very common in creams and cosmetics, by tracking the number and distribution of the particles in organisms along an assembled aquatic food chain consisting of microalgae, daphnids (small crustaceans) and fish.
Schematic of the experimental design. Image designed by @emiliomoron in powerpoint.
The data showed that 10 nm spherical gold nanoparticles were found in 68% of the algal population cells, the total mass of Au accumulated in algal-fed daphnids exposed to Au nanoparticles was between 0, 73% and 1.71%, while in fish (zebrafish) that were fed daphnids for 21 days, the results showed that a small percentage of the nanoparticles that accumulated in the daphnids was transferred to the fish.
These results show us the importance of assessing the risks presented by nanomaterials before they are massively used in different products, since a better knowledge of how these materials interact with different organisms can help us to introduce stricter regulations for their control, since we could be using them without knowledge in articles such as clothing, cosmetics and even food, and without any mention of it.
Thanks for coming by to read friends, I hope you liked the information. See you next time.
I find this post quite interesting and you talked about Nanotechnology which is quite new. I believe that best of Nanotechnology is yet to come however it has huge potential. thanks for sharing this post.
Undoubtedly it has great potential, and the advances currently being made are amazing, and the more research is done, the more we will surely learn about nanotechnology and its implications.
This is a relatively new industry, although it has many possible applications, its polluting effect is not clear and as it is normal for its effects to be seen in the long term, we can only hope that the advantages outweigh the negative effects for human life on the planet.
Greetings friend @trabajosdelsiglo. Yes, being a relatively new science it is still not clear its long term effects, we need more evidence like this to determine its cumulative effect on people and the environment.
Hi @emiliomoron
I read your post, and I find it interesting, however, although the nanotechnology science is new, I really believe that the negative effects of nanoparticles are in humans for a long time, only now is when there is more technology that allows to quantify these tiny elements.
Hello my friend @josevas217, we are really exposed to nanoparticles since a long time, but particularly to man-made particles perhaps since recently, but certainly to advance in more efficient methods of detection is very important to understand their effect on the environment and people. Best regards!
Interesting and Alarming. WELL Expained
That's right my friend, it is a topic that should arouse the interest of those who develop these applications. Thanks for stopping by to read.
Greetings friend @emiliomoron.
A great article that you share with us in this opportunity, nanotechnology is one of the most extraordinary area where man is working and thus has achieved the development of new and essential materials that have allowed our progress in every way, however as you say:
The above characteristics represent a great latent danger for our organisms due to the size of the nanometric particles which as you very well express can penetrate the cells and accumulate in our bodies.
Really a content of great importance for all of us, thank you friend for sharing such an extraordinary article. Greetings.
Greetings friend @rbalzan79, certainly a very important issue, as these particles may be present in items of frequent consumption, so we need to know what effects they will have in the long term and prevent their use if necessary.
This is really true and i strongly agree with your point here. There's actually no doubt that the microscopic size of such particles may tend to have severe effect on the cell which affect the body system.
Thanks for sharing this great post with love from @hardaeborla and I hope you have a great day ahead ❤️💕❤️
This is really true and i strongly agree with your point here. There's actually no doubt that the microscopic size of such particles may tend to have severe effect on the cell which affect the body system.
Thanks for sharing this great post with love from @hardaeborla and I hope you have a great day ahead ❤️💕❤️
Thank you very much for reading. Actually the size of the particles make them very dangerous because they can cross cell barriers, it is necessary to better understand how they can affect us in the long term.
The impact done in the area of science and it's constant improvement is surely one that we should always praise, the perfect reality is nano technology will really do us some good.