ABSTRACT

The new world of health started since nanotechnology has demonstrated that it will be possible, in a next future, to identify diseases at the earliest stages — at the cellular level — and to deliver therapeutic drugs directly to the disease site reducing their toxicity. The benefits of the emerging research field are huge and even if therefore some issues concerning nanomaterials toxicity are to be elucidated, the possible risks deriving from nanomaterials application appear to be a minor problem. The capacity of nanotubes to form persistent agglomerates can make the size of the inhaled particles much greater than the individual tube size. The development of nanotechnology has included many funds from different countries all around the world for studying environmental, health and safety issues relating to nanoscale materials and understanding the risk-benefit assessments. Moreover, the public’s acceptance of nanotechnology plays an increasingly important role in determining the ultimate impact nanotechnology will have across society.