Nanotechnology and the Environment

Researchers have shown that iron nanoparticles can be effective in cleaning up organic solvents that are polluting groundwater. The iron nanoparticles disperse throughout the body of water and decompose the organic solvent in place. This method can be more effective and cost significantly less than treatment methods that require the water to be pumped out of the ground. Cleaning up oil spills. Using photocatalytic copper tungsten oxide nanoparticles to break down oil into biodegradable compounds.

The nanoparticles are in a grid that provides high surface area for the reaction, is activated by sunlight and can work in water, making them useful for cleaning up oil spills.

The Application of Nanotechnology to Environmental Issues

Clearing volatile organic compounds VOCs from air. The catalyst is composed of porous manganese oxide in which gold nanoparticle s have been embedded. Reducing the cost of fuel cells. Changing the spacing of platinum atoms used in a fuel cell increases the catalytic ability of the platinum. Storing hydrogen for fuel cell powered cars. Using graphene layers to increase the binding energy of hydrogen to the graphene surface in a fuel tank results in a higher amount of hydrogen storage and a lighter weight fuel tank.

This could help in the development of practical hydrogen-fueled cars. Alternatively, hazard risks i. Virtually all environmental concerns are related directly or indirectly with risk. Any discussion of environmental health and hazard concerns associated with nanomaterials and nanoprocesses must, therefore, also address the issue of risk. As indicated above, many environmental practitioners, researchers, and regulators have confused health risks with hazard risks, and vice versa. Although both employ a multi-step method of analysis, the procedures are quite different, with each providing different results, information, and conclusions.

Both share a common concern in that they can negatively impact individuals, society, and the environment. Environmental health risk and the environmental risk assessment processes are widely discussed in technical literature and are the bases of many health, safety, and environmental management activities [ 2 , 10 — 13 ]. Health risk assessment provides an orderly, explicit and consistent way to deal with scientific issues in evaluating whether a health problem exists and what the magnitude of the problem may be. This evaluation typically involves large uncertainties because the available scientific data is limited, and the mechanisms for adverse health impacts or environmental damage are only imperfectly understood.

Most human or environmental health problems can be evaluated by dissecting the analysis into four parts: This four step framework has been widely adopted by U. For some perceived problem, the risk assessment might stop with the first step in the process, i. Regarding health problem identification, a problem may be defined as a toxic agent or a set of conditions that has the potential to cause adverse effects to human health or the environment.

Problem identification involves an evaluation of various forms of information in order to identify the different health concerns. Dose-response or toxicity assessment is required in an overall assessment: This step frequently requires that assumptions be made to relate experimental data for animals to humans. Exposure assessment is the determination of the magnitude, frequency, duration, and routes of exposure of human populations and ecosystems. Additional details are available in the literature.

With regard to nanomaterials, the health risk evaluation process may be problematic. There is just not enough published data on the environmental health effects resulting from exposure to nanoparticles or protocols or methodologies for making such evaluations [ 3 , 14 ].

Environmental Nanotechnology

To resolve this concern, entities such as the US National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health have issued interim guidance regarding medical screening for workers exposed to engineered nanoparticles [ 7 ]. Although some information is available concerning the fates and effects of some classes of nanomaterials in the environment [ 4 ], procedures to predict environmental exposures to engineered nanoparticles [ 5 ], and techniques that might be used to model environmental concentrations [ 6 ], additional information on occupational, consumer, and environmental exposure is needed [ 3 ].

As with environmental health risk, there is a serious lack of information on hazard risks and associated implications of these hazards, particularly with regard to the production and use of nanomaterials [ 3 ]. The unknowns in this risk area may be larger in number and greater in potential consequences.

However, hazard risk analysis details are available and traditional approaches have been successfully applied in the past. As indicated, when the two terms are applied to emissions, the former usually refers to ordinary round-the-clock, everyday emissions while the latter term deals with short, out-of-the-norm, accidental emissions.

As with assessing environmental health risks of a substance, there are several steps in evaluating the risk of a hazard including upset conditions, malfunctions, or accidents at a facility. These are detailed in Figure 2 if the system in question is a chemical plant.

Potential environmental benefits

The heart of the hazard risk assessment algorithm is enclosed in the dashed box of Figure 2. The algorithm allows for reevaluation of the process if the risk is deemed unacceptable. Similar approaches will likely be utilized in the manufacture of nanomaterials. Many environmental concerns are addressed through existing health and safety legislation.

Most countries require a health and safety assessment for any new chemical before it can be marketed. This Agency manages the R egistration, E valuation, A uthorisation and Restriction of Ch emical REACH substances system which is a database of information provided by manufacturers and importers on the properties of their chemical substances. Prior experience with materials such as PCBs, dioxins, furans, and, and a variety of unintended effects of drugs such as thalidomide, means that companies and governments have incentives to keep a close watch on potential negative environmental health and hazard effects [ 15 ].

It should be noted that there are no nano or nano-related environmental regulations in the US or the EU at this time which require controls on process releases or production activities or specific workplace safety measures. Completely new legislation and regulatory efforts may be necessary to protect the public and the environment from the potential adverse effects of nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology and the Environment

Until such effects are identified and control or mitigation procedures are developed, one may only speculate on how the existing regulatory framework might be applied as this emerging field develops over the next several years. Detailed analyses of various existing US and EU laws and requirements and similar conclusions are discussed in the literature [ 16 — 20 ]. The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment. The mission of OSHA is to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.

Both are therefore directly concerned with environmental implications of nanotechnology. It is very difficult to predict what future requirements might come into play for nanomaterials. In the past, regulations have been both a moving target and confusing. What can be said is that there will be regulations and the probability is high that they will be contradictory and confusing. Past and current regulations provide a measure of what can be expected. Under the Clean Air Act no specific requirements or regulatory procedures currently exist for nanoparticles. The use and production of nanomaterials could be regulated in the following circumstances neither of which is under consideration at this time:.

Unless a particular nanomaterial qualifies for an exemption under the law, a prospective manufacturer with low-volume production, with low-level environmental releases along with low volume, or with plans for limited test marketing would be subject to the full evaluation procedures. As previously indicated, this would include a submittal of a premanufacturing notice, along with toxicity and other data, to EPA at least 90 days prior to commencing production of the substance, followed by required recordkeeping and reporting. If the experience with genetically engineered organisms is any indication, there will probably be a push for not only EPA but also OSHA to update regulations in the future to reflect changes, advances, and trends in nanotechnology.

The future of nanotechnology in not known. Scientists, engineers, and even manufacturers can only speculate on its implications or the magnitude of its impact on environmental health. What some might view as a learned prediction of what the future will bring, others might consider as science fiction.

The same is true with regard to future legal and regulatory approaches to managing environmental health and hazard risks. As previously discussed, many environmental scientists, attorneys, and others have speculated and offered their perspectives on future regulatory activities [ 16 , 17 ]. Others offer alternative view points. One of the authors of this article has speculated on the need for future regulations for nanomaterials.

His suggestions and potential options are available in the literature [ 20 ], noting that the ratio of nanoparticles that are currently being emitted from conventional sources such as power plants to present-day engineered nanoparticles being released into the environment may be as high as a trillion to one i. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Published online Feb Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer.

This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license http: This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Abstract Some engineers and scientists are either directly or indirectly involved with nanotechnology issues.

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Introduction Nanotechnology is concerned with the world of miniscule particles that are dominated by forces of physics and chemistry that cannot be applied at the macro- or human-scale level. Only time will provide answers to many key environmental questions, including the following: What are the potential environmental concerns associated with this new technology? Could nanoapplications lead to environmental degradation, particularly from bioaccumulation of nanoproducts in living tissue?