Abstract
Particles having a dimension smaller than 100 nm are labeled “nanoparticles” and have properties that are not shared by nonnanoscale materials [1]. The exposure of humans to airborne nanoparticles has exponentially grown in the last century. The recent development of “nanoscience and nanotechnology” has largely increased the number of “engineered nanoparticles” that find application in an ever growing number of cases. The peculiar “surface structure” influences the “reactivity” of nanoparticles and makes them potentially quite “aggressive” towards biosystems. This is raising a lot of concern about the potential toxicity of nanoparticles, considering that they can be taken up more easily than nonnanoscale materials and reach the spleen, bone marrow and the nervous system, organs, tissue and cells, causing stress, DNA mutation and may induce structural damage in mitochondria, with cell death. Such fears are pushing towards the definition of potential dangers that nanoparticles may cause to the human organism, increasing precautions in their manufacture and management, accuracy in their emission measurement, increasing the knowledge of the routes of exposure and up-take and of the mechanism of action on organs, tissues and cells, and controlling the end of life disposal, in order to make sure and safe the production and use of such materials that also find application in biomedicine for a variety of uses.