Nanoparticles in the environment more harmful than thought

[rangerrebew]

Nanoparticles in the environment more harmful than thought
August 21, 2018 by Birgitte Svennevig, University of Southern Denmark


Nanoparticles are becoming increasingly widespread in the environment. Thousands of products contain nanoparticles, which have unique properties.

Silver nanoparticles are one example. They have an effective antibacterial effect and can be found in refrigerators, sports clothes, cosmetics, toothbrushes and water filters. Professor Frank Kjeldsen, SDU, conducted a cell study with results that he finds concerning. The results are published in Nanotoxicology.


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-08-nanoparticles-environment-thought.html#jCp

[Sanguine]

This is the kind of stuff that the media does so poorly on reporting.  Nanoparticles are not new and are not "unnatural".  This story
gives an example of one type of nanoP combination that creates synergy in cancer-fighting and is more effective in combination than either single nanoP is and extrapolates this to mean that we must be releasing dangerous combinations of nanoPs into the environment.  And, we may well be - this example doesn't clarify that at all.

Natural Nanoparticles: A Particular Matter Inspired by Nature.
Griffin S1,2, Masood MI3,4, Nasim MJ5, Sarfraz M6, Ebokaiwe AP7, Schäfer KH8, Keck CM9, Jacob C10.
Author information
Abstract

During the last couple of decades, the rapidly advancing field of nanotechnology has produced a wide palette of nanomaterials, most of which are considered as "synthetic" and, among the wider public, are often met with a certain suspicion. Despite the technological sophistication behind many of these materials, "nano" does not always equate with "artificial". Indeed, nature itself is an excellent nanotechnologist. It provides us with a range of fine particles, from inorganic ash, soot, sulfur and mineral particles found in the air or in wells, to sulfur and selenium nanoparticles produced by many bacteria and yeasts. These nanomaterials are entirely natural, and, not surprisingly, there is a growing interest in the development of natural nanoproducts, for instance in the emerging fields of phyto- and phyco-nanotechnology. This review will highlight some of the most recent-and sometimes unexpected-advances in this exciting and diverse field of research and development. Naturally occurring nanomaterials, artificially produced nanomaterials of natural products as well as naturally occurring or produced nanomaterials of natural products all show their own, particular chemical and physical properties, biological activities and promise for applications, especially in the fields of medicine, nutrition, cosmetics and agriculture. In the future, such natural nanoparticles will not only stimulate research and add a greener outlook to a traditionally high-tech field, they will also provide solutions-pardon-suspensions for a range of problems. Here, we may anticipate specific biogenic factories, valuable new materials based on waste, the effective removal of contaminants as part of nano-bioremediation, and the conversion of poorly soluble substances and materials to biologically available forms for practical uses.
KEYWORDS:

bioreduction; homogenization; microbes; nanoparticles; redox; selenium; silver; sulfur

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29286304