Читать книгу Sustainable Nanotechnology - Группа авторов - Страница 83

Nanomaterials are expected to show toxicity effects that are not associated with larger particles. For example, even inert elements like gold become highly active at the nanometer dimensions. Size is a key factor in determining the potential toxicity of a particle. However, it is not the only important factor. Other properties of nanomaterials that influence toxicity include chemical composition, shape, surface structure, surface charge, aggregation and solubility, and the presence or absence of functional groups of other chemicals. The inhaling of nanoparticles due to their size may mainly cause the toxic effect of damage to the lungs and sometimes they may reach to the bloodstream and are predicted to cause heart problems. The ingestion of nanoparticles into the human body may also become toxic and lead to various diseases including colon cancer, Crohn's disease, arrhythmia, asthma, lung cancer, autoimmune diseases, neurological disease, etc. Only little is known about the ill‐effects of nanoparticles on the living body and further study, as well as precautions, are essential.