Nanotechnologies in Agrofood and Water - Nanotechnology and Human Health - page 107

Applications in agriculture, food, and water are often large-scale appli-
cations. Fortunately, as has been shown above, they largely do not involve
persistent nanoparticles. Applications in food aim at bioavailability, which is
contradictory to persistent. However, it cannot be excluded that in the future,
other applications with a more persistent nature will be developed. However,
even in the applications described above, caution is prudent. Herbicides and
pesticides employed in agriculture to make them more effective can also
be more effective when they end up in the environment, and antimicrobial
particles such as nanosilver do not stop being antimicrobial after their pri-
mary application in packaging materials. Since these packaging materials
are designed to be discarded, such an application can be large scale and the
exposure to these kinds of particles could be extensive, creating a serious
risk if the particles are sufficiently hazardous. One thing seems clear: more
research into the effects of persistent nanoparticles is necessary.
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