Nanotoxicology: characterizing the scientific literature, 2000–2007

This article reports on the prevalence and distribution of current scientific literature looking at the toxicity of engineered nanoparticles. The authors found that nanotoxicological literature is dispersed a range of disciplines and sub-disciplines, and that these studies were mostly focused on in vitro testing. These studies also often did not specify a specific pathway for exposure, and often emphasized acute toxicity and mortality rather than chronic exposure and morbidity. Finally, the research studies they reviewed tended not to focus on consumer products, nor on nanoparticles' environmental fate, and existing studies tend to focus on the toxicity of basic nanomaterials. The authors end by discussing implications for toxicologists, regulators, and social scientists studying nanotechnology.