Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

The latest scientific findings offer insight into how nanomaterials can affect health and the environment As more and more nanomaterials are developed and more and more applications for nanomaterials are discovered, questions about how these materials affect the environment and human health are becoming increasingly urgent. With articles contributed by leading researchers, this book examines the results of recent scientific studies that have begun to provide answers to these very important questions. These answers, in turn, will help shape sound environmental policies that will permit the continued growth of nanoscience and nanotechnology. This book is divided into three sections: * Section I, Environmental and Health Impacts of Nanomaterials: Overview and Challenges, sets forth key foundational information, including an overview of commercially produced nanomaterials and their potential to get into the environment * Section II, Fate and Transport of Nanomaterials in the Environment, examines what happens when nanomaterials get into the environment, emphasizing their impact on water and soil * Section III, Toxicity and Health Hazards of Nanomaterials, explores how nanomaterials affect the environment and its biota, presenting the results of investigations on living systems, including biological components, cells, simple organisms, animals, and humans Reflecting the need for interdisciplinary research in this area, the book's contributing authors represent a broad range of disciplines, including chemistry, microbiology, engineering, medicine, and occupational and environmental health. With the number of nanotechnology-based products expected to grow substantially in the near future and beyond, researchers and regulators should turn to this book for help in addressing the many questions concerning the impact of nanoscience and nanotechnology on health and the environment.