Environmental Impact of Nanoparticles' Application as an Emerging Technology: A Review

Abstract

The unique properties that nanoparticles exhibit, due to their small size, are the principal reason for their numerous applications, but at the same time, this might be a massive menace to the environment. The number of studies that assess the possible ecotoxicity of nanomaterials has been increasing over the last decade to determine if, despite the positive aspects, they should be considered a potential health risk. To evaluate their potential toxicity, models are used in all types of organisms, from unicellular bacteria to complex animal species. In order to better understand the environmental consequences of nanotechnology, this literature review aims to describe and classify nanoparticles, evaluating their life cycle, their environmental releasing capacity and the type of impact, particularly on living beings, highlighting the need to develop more severe and detailed legislation. Due to their diversity, nanoparticles will be discussed in generic terms focusing on the impact of a great variety of them, highlighting the most interesting ones for the industry.

Keywords: green chemistry; nanomaterial release models; nanoparticles’ emission; nanotechnology; negative impact; positive impact; toxicity.

Figure 1

Nanoparticles classification and main applications.

Figure 2

The life cycle of nanoparticle-containing products.

Figure 3

Life-cycle of Ag nanoparticles in socks and their transformations in the different stages.

Figure 4

Schematic of how Environmental Fate Models (EFM) models are related to Material Flow Analysis (MFA) models.

Figure 5

Toxic effects on the different intracellular objectives.

Figure 6

Potential cellular toxic effects of nanoparticles (NPs) caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS).