Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
FiguRe .
Schematic.of.the.XL.insurance.database.and.formulation.of.risk.scores.[8]..
(Reprinted.with.permission.from.Relative.risk.analysis.of.several.manufactured.nanomateri-
als:. An. insurance. industry. context..
Environ. Sci. Technol.,
. 39(October):8985-8994.. Copy-
right.2005,.American.Chemical.Society.)
the.inhalation.of.nanoparticulates,.which.can.cause.inlammation.or.immune-based.
response..While.some.laboratory.results.do.give.cause.for.concern,.those.concerns.
must.be.put.into.context..The.methods.of.dosing.test.organisms.may.not.relect.real-
world. conditions.. Measures. taken. to. prepare. test. solutions. (for. example,. to. keep.
nanomaterials.in.suspension).may.introduce.other.toxicants.or.otherwise.represent.
artiicial.conditions..In.addition.to.the.hazards.presented.by.the.nanomaterials.them-
selves,.one.must.consider.the.hazards.posed.by.other.materials.used.in.the.manufac-
turing.process.or.part.of.the.inal.product..Solutions.of.nZVI,.for.example,.may.be.
shipped.at.a.highly.caustic.pH..Manufacture.of.C60.fullerenes,.as.another.example,.
requires.the.use.of.highly.toxic.benzene.
For. either. a. nanomaterial. or. an. associated. chemical. to. cause. a. risk. requires.
a. complete. exposure. pathway.. That. is,. a. mechanism. must. exist. to. transfer. the.
compound.or.nanomaterial.in.question.from.the.
source
.in.air,.water,.soil,.sediment.
to.the.
receptor
.organism.in.question..Exposure.pathways.may.be.complete.during.
only.portions.of.a.product's.lifecycle.—.during.manufacture,.perhaps,.or.during.the.
use.of.a.free.(not.ixed).nanoparticle..Little.information.is.currently.available.on.the.
end-of-life. fate. of. nanomaterials. used. in. commercial. products. or. the. potential. for.
