Bridge knowledge gaps in environmental health and safety for sustainable development of nano-industries

Abstract

Abstract Sustainable development of nanotechnology relies on the design and production of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) with substantial benefits and manageable risks to the environment and human beings, and requires a thorough understanding of environmental health and safety (EHS) impacts. In this review, we elaborate the importance of improved understanding of EHS of ENMs for the sustainable development of nano-industries. Based on our analysis of the current knowledge gaps and challenges in nano-EHS research, we propose that future research directions should mainly focus on: elucidating the impacts of environmental exposure, transport, transformation and fate of EMMs on their toxicity and health risks; identifying more appropriate assays and biomarkers for ENMs risk assessment framework; taking a systems innovation approach for scaling up from laboratory to industrial level.