Hit or miss?: benefits and risks of using nanoparticles for in situ remediation.

摘要

Nanotechnology holds the promise of vastly expanding our ability to clean up hazardous waste sites and decontaminate polluted ground-water in situ. Polychlorinated biphenyls, organic solvents, petroleum products, arsenic, and many more contaminants are on the list that specifically engineered nanoparticles could rapidly remove from contaminated soil and water, saving billions of dollars that would have been spent on more expensive conventional remediation methods. These possibilitites are discussed in a review of field tests using nano-materials [EHP 117:1823-1831; Karn et al.]. However, the authors caution, our knowledge of the potential environmental and health hazards posed by these nanomaterials is in its infancy.