Nanoparticle hazards
False colour TEM image of Titania nanostars
Hazards of nanoparticles to the environment and human health
The environmental behaviour of engineered nanoparticles is currently unknown and their potential to harm human health is a major concern.
Project aim
To investigate how nanoparticles might behave in the human body if they were inhaled or entered the bloodstream.
Objectives
- Phase 1:
Test how the physical properties of nanomaterials affect their behaviour in solutions simulating body fluids. - Phase 2:
Discover whether the most reactive particles also tend to cause the most harm to lung cells involved in the general defence of lung tissue against particulates.
Primary investigator
- Éva Valsami-Jones (Natural History Museum)
Project partners
- Aldo Boccaccini (Imperial College London)
- Terry Tetley (Imperial College London)
- Jane Plant (Imperial College London)
Post-doctoral research assistant
- Deborah Berhanu (Natural History Museum)
