ABSTRACT
A crucial component of understanding the activity of nanomaterials and constructing realistic quantitative risk assessment models is knowledge of the rate and extent of nanomaterial absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination (ADME), essential parameters needed to connect dose to observed effects. The evaluation of these processes, referred to in chemical and pharmaceutical disciplines as pharmacokinetics or toxicokinetics, is often referred to in the nanosciences as biokinetics or biodistribution. Whatever the term used to describe this discipline, very few classical pharmacokinetic studies have been done on nanomaterials, especially manufactured substances not designed for biomedical and therapeutic applications. A number of issues important to nanomaterial risk assessment depend on having a knowledge of dose at the target tissues and which specific tissues they become sequestered in. If these coincide with a potential target for toxicity, this knowledge is crucial to making a risk assessment.
