Consumer Exposures to Engineered Nanomaterials through Dietary Sources

摘要

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are currently used in a wide range of consumer products, including food, dietary supplements, and food packaging. In addition, ENMs are also being developed for advanced water treatment technologies to help secure safe, sustainable water supplies. The use of ENMs in consumer products such as food and drinking water applications has been attractive to material scientists, engineers, and product developers given that ENMs often display unique, novel properties compared to their bulk counterparts. At the same time, there have also been safety concerns and questions raised regarding the use of ENMs in consumer products and other applications. The overall extent to which consumers are exposed to ENMs through dietary sources such as food and drinking water is still largely unknown at this time. This is largely due to the lack of robust analytical techniques for detection, characterization, and quantification of ENMs in food and drinking water matrices, as well as other challenges related to assessing consumer and environmental exposures to ENMs. This presentation provides an overview of consumer exposures to ENMs through dietary sources along with some concerns regarding these exposures. Recommendations are also made to stakeholder groups for the sustainable development and use of ENMs in food and drinking water treatment applications.