Limited Usefulness of In Vitro Toxicity Data in Hazard Identification of Nanomaterials

With the increasing use and development of engineered nanomaterials in electronics, pesticides, consumer products, and chemical and pharmaceutical industries, there is a growing concern about their potential risks to humans and the environment. The toxic effects of most nanomaterials have not been characterized, but it is generally believed that nanoparticles can have toxicological properties that differ from their bulk materials. A challenge facing hazard identification and safety assessment of engineered nanomaterials is the diversity and complexity of the types of materials with varying physicochemical properties, many of which can affect their toxicity by different mechanisms [1].