Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 5
Nanopathology: The Nano-bio-interaction
of Nanoparticles Inside the Human Body
Antonietta M. Gatti and Stefano Montanari
Abstract This chapter deals with the invasive character of nanoparticles inside the
human body and describes the potential risk that the nanosized particulate matter
represents. The dispersion of submicronic and nanoparticles through inhalation,
ingestion and other, less common, ways of entrance into the organism are discussed.
A preliminary discussion on engineered nanoparticles and incidental (involuntarily
released mainly by high-temperature combustive processes) ones is presented and
their implications examined. The study presents electron-microscopy images of
particles dispersed in organs affected by illnesses. The presence of submicronic and
nanosized particles in organs like the liver, the kidney, the pancreas, the bladder, the
brain affected by a few forms of cancer is shown by Scanning-Electron-Micro-
scopic images and their elemental chemical composition evaluated by an X-ray
microprobe. Some investigations on fetal malformations and miscarriages are
shown to demonstrate the translocation of tiny particulate matter from mother to
fetus. These pieces of evidence demonstrate that the physical presence of particu-
late matter can modify the embryonic growth, so fetal modifications may be not
hereditary but can be induced accidentally during pregnancy. The delay and
inadequacy of national and international rules against the industrial use of
nanoparticles is also discussed. And the necessity of a new, multidisciplinary
approach to Medicine is presented as well.
5.1
Introduction
Men, like any other terrestrial living being, have shared their environment with dust
all along. Dust is produced naturally by volcanoes, by the erosion of rocks, by the
raising of pulverized ground and by all combustions, normally rare in nature and
