ABSTRACT

Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) exhibit novel optical, magnetic, electrical and physicochemical properties due to their higher surface-to-volume ratio and increased number of atoms on particle boundaries compared to their bulk counterparts. These distinctive characteristics find immense application in personal care products, food packaging, drug delivery systems, therapeutics, and biosensors, among others. The exponential increase in nanoparticle-containing consumer products in the last 5 years has increased their inadvertent release into the environment. ENPs have the potential to directly interact with organisms at different trophic levels in the food web. Any adverse effect exerted by ENPs at trophic levels will directly affect the carrying capacity of the ecosystem.

Hence, in the present chapter, we have reviewed the applications of ENP in environmental scenarios, and an attempt has been made to understand the different physicochemical characteristics of ENPs for determining their toxicity. In addition, data on the ecotoxicity of ENPs has also been gathered, and approaches to preventing imposed toxicity on humans and health are addressed.