Metal Nanoparticle Health Risk Assessment

The widespread application of nanomaterials confers enormous potential for human exposure and environmental release particularly for workers producing nanoparticles or making nano-based objects. The various routes by which nanopar- ticles could be taken up by the body (respiratory, skin, and digestive) complicate the definition of NPs to be used in risk assessment. The present review describes the difficulties in making a sufficiently correct risk assessment and management for nanomaterials, addressing the various problems that render difficult the risk management of nanomaterials in the occupational set- ting, in particular the exposure scenario, the exposure appraisal, and the hazard identification and characterization.