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The risks of nanotechnology for human health

The Lancet

Published:April 07, 2007DOI:[doi.org]
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Last week a report from the UK Council for Science and Technology criticised the Government for not funding more research into the toxicology, health, and environmental effects of nanotechnologies. The current knowledge gap about the impact of nanoparticles on human health is cause for concern.
Nanoparticles—which are the width of 2–10 atoms, that is, less than 100 nanometres—could potentially invade body systems with possible health consequences. For example, nanomaterials, such as metal oxides and carbon nanotubes, could theoretically behave like quartz dust or asbestos particles and result in similar damaging effects on the respiratory system. Studies to date show that the human body's normal defence mechanisms treat nanoparticles like micro-organisms but nanoparticles could link together to form fibres that are too large to be engulfed by macrophages. Nanoparticles with a high proportion of transition metals might have reactive surfaces that could alter the particles' toxicity and consequently harm human cells.
The rapid recent rise in nanomedicine has led to exciting developments in gene therapies, targeted drug-delivery systems, array techniques, molecular imaging, and implant devices. Most of these rely on techniques that manipulate nanoparticles so that they can bypass the human body's defence mechanisms, which might imply that less desirable nanoparticles could also penetrate into cells or cross natural barriers. However, the UK's Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MRHA) recently concluded that existing regulatory frameworks and trial safety procedures were sufficient to cover the use of nanotechnologies in medicines and medical devices.
The MRHA has now decided to stop participating in the British Standards Institute's Nanotechnology Standardisation Committee—a situation which the Institute describes as “deeply worrying”. The MRHA should immediately re-engage with the development of standards for nanotechnologies. The unknown and under-researched health effects of nanotechnologies make it unwise to draw any concrete conclusions about their long-term safety.