US EPA

157712 

Journal Article 

Review 

Engineered nanomaterials in soils and water: How do they behave and could they pose a risk to human health? 

Boxall, AB; Tiede, K; Chaudhry, Q 

2007 

1 

Nanomedicine
ISSN: 1743-5889
EISSN: 1748-6963 

2 

6 

919-927 

English 

18095854 

10.2217/17435889.2.6.919 

WOS:000252336600015 

It is inevitable that, during their use, engineered nanoparticles will be released into soils and waters. There is therefore increasing concern over the potential impacts of engineered nanoparticles in the environment on aquatic and terrestrial organisms and on human health. Once released into the environment, engineered nanoparticles will aggregate to some degree; they might also associate with suspended solids, sediment, be accumulated by organisms and enter drinking water sources and food materials. These fate processes are dependent on the characteristics of the particle and the characteristics of the environmental system. A range of ecotoxicological effects have also been reported, including effects on microbes, plants, invertebrates and fish. Although available data indicate that current risks of engineered nanoparticles in the environment to environmental and human health are probably low, our knowledge of the potential impacts of engineered nanoparticles in the environment on human health is still limited. There is therefore a need for continued work to develop an understanding of the exposure levels for engineered nanoparticles in environmental systems and to begin to explore the implications of these levels in terms of the ecosystem and human health. This will require research in a range of areas, including detection and characterization, environmental fate and transport, ecotoxicology and toxicology. 

ecotoxicity; engineered nanoparticles; environmental exposure; environmental fate; risk; soil; water