Research strategies for safety evaluation of nanomaterials, part I: Evaluating the human health implications of exposure to nanoscale materials

Nanotechnology has the potential to dramatically improve the effectiveness of a number of existing consumer and industrial products and could have a substantial impact on the development of new products ranging from disease diagnosis and treatment to environmental remediation. The broad range of possible nanotechnology applications could lead to substantive changes in industrial productivity, economic growth, and international trade. A continuing evaluation of the human health implications of exposure to nanoscale materials will be essential before the commercial benefits of these materials can be fully realized. The purpose of this article is to review the human health implications of exposure to nanoscale materials in the context of a toxicological risk evaluation, the current scope of U.S. Federal research on nanoscale materials, and selected toxicological studies associated with nanoscale materials to note emerging research in this area.