New method can help trace nanomaterials in blood and tissues

Consumer products, like food, clothes, and cosmetics, are probably filled with nanomaterials—unknown to people. The applications of nanomaterials are still unregulated and they are not mentioned in the ingredient list.

Our consumer products can be filled with nanomaterials, but they do not show up in lists of ingredients. Image Credit: MostPhotos/Tatiana Mihailova.

This poses a major concern because if safety measures are not taken, nanomaterials can be more harmful than COVID-19 over the long term—for example, nanomaterials are difficult to quantify, they enter the food chain and, most disturbingly, they can enter cells and build up in the human organs.

Nanotechnology is emerging everywhere, to transform humans’ daily lives. Now, with nanotechnology applications, many diseases can be treated efficiently that they will become a thing of the past.

There are also materials that are 100 times more powerful than steel; solar panels that generate two times more energy than traditional ones; batteries that work 10 times longer than before; skincare products that keep people looking young; as well as self-cleaning windows, cars, and clothes. All these used to be the stuff of Hollywood movies and science fiction, but now they are the reality people live in.

Nanotechnology could become the next industrial revolution. In fact, the global market for nanomaterials is increasing and these materials are estimated at 11 million tons with a market value of 20 billion Euros. Today, direct employment in the nanomaterial industry is valued between 300,000 and 400,000 in Europe alone.

But despite this fact, nanomaterials and their application in consumer goods are far from uncomplicated. A recent study, recently published in the Nature Communications journal, offers a better understanding of whether these nanomaterials are dangerous and what actually happens to them when they penetrate an organism.

An international research team has now designed a sensitive technique to detect and trace nanomaterials in tissues and blood, and they successfully traced nanomaterials over an aquatic food chain, from microbes to fish, which is the main food source in several countries. The new technique can pave the way to more safety measures.

We found that that nanomaterials bind strongly to microorganisms, which are a source of food for other organisms, and this is the way they can enter our food chain. Once inside an organism, nanomaterials can change their shape and size and turn into a more dangerous material that can easily penetrate cells and spread to other organs. When looking at different organs of an organism, we found that nanomaterials tend to accumulate especially in the brain.”

Dr Fazel A Monikh, Study Lead Author, University of Eastern Finland

According to the team, nanomaterials are also hard to quantify: for instance, their proportion in an organism cannot be quantified by simply using their mass, which is the regular method for quantifying other chemicals for regulations.

These discoveries highlight the significance of evaluating the risk of nanomaterials before they are added to consumer goods in huge amounts. A better interpretation of nanomaterials and their associated risks can help policymakers to develop stricter rules on their application, and on the way, they are cited in the products’ lists of ingredients.

It could be that you are already using nanomaterials in your food, clothes, cosmetic products, etc., but you still don’t see any mention of them in the ingredient list. Why? Because they are still unregulated and because they are so small that we simply can’t measure them once they’re in your products.”

Dr Fazel A Monikh, Study Lead Author, University of Eastern Finland

“People have the right to know what they are using and buying for their families. This is a global problem that needs a global solution. Many questions about nanomaterials still need to be answered. Are they safe for us and the environment? Where will they end up after we’re done using them? How can we assess their possible risk?” Dr. Monikh concluded.