Nanotoxicology and safety assessment towards human and environment

Nanostructure materials have been attractive to science and technology in last decades since they offer spread possibilities in creating new shape and structure with implications in medicine of great impact. Also pharmaceuticals have been greatly attracted by nanoparticles and nanomaterials, considering the versatilities in targeting tissue of drug delivery systems, assessing deep molecular targets and controlling drug release. Despite the increasing use and applications of nanotoxicology mainly in diagnostic medicine, drug-related techniques and regenerative medicine, information about human exposure and impact on environment of nano-sized particles is very few and often nanotoxicology literature is dispersed across a range of disciplines and sub-fields. Moreover, studies are focused on in vitro tests, the exposure pathway is often not specified and acute toxicity and mortality are mainly assessed, while few is known about chronic exposure and morbidity. Moreover, few studies aimed to tests consumer products, and their environmental fate have been published. Answering questions as:  how stable and persistent are these forms?  do they decompose or agglomerate?  what about their solubility in water?  are they inert or do they interact with other particles, chemicals or surfaces?  are they degradable and to what extent their properties change during decompositions?  Are they able to accumulate in organisms, and consequently in food chain is crucial for both human and environmental health and safety and for public acceptance of such revolutionary materials.