Toxicology of Nano-Scale Materials Used in Water Treatment

Abstract

In the last two decades, the use of nanomaterials has increased in food ingredient and packaging, water treatment, pesticides, cosmetics and many other industries. Old habits have begun to change in this process and silver nanoparticles instead of pesticides, carbon nanotubes absorbing pollutants in water treatment, titanium dioxide in smart drugs and cosmetics have become widespread. These nanoparticles, which permeate our lives in all areas, can hang in the air for kilometers and can cause DNA damage by penetrating people, animals and plant cells. Although the magnitude of the risks and the toxic effects are estimated, there are very few studies on this subject yet. Therefore, it is required to reveal the risks and toxic effects of nanomaterials, which are described as excellent technology. In this study, the toxicity of nano-scale materials, which are widely used in water treatment, and their effects on human and environmental health were investigated. Thus, the mechanism of action of the investigated nanomaterials was revealed.

Keywords

• Water treatment
• Nanotechnology
• Toxicology