The article referenced below points out the importance of material characterization as part of the process to determine nanotoxicity. The properties that are important are:
- Particle size and size distribution (wet state) and surface area (dry state) in the relevant media being utilized—depending upon the route of exposure
- Crystal structure/crystallinity
- Aggregation status in the relevant media
- Composition/surface coatings
- Surface reactivity
- Method of nanomaterial synthesis and/or preparation including postsynthetic modifications
- Purity of sample
The absence of such data would result in misleading information, as chemical composition or chemical formula alone is not sufficient. TSCA does not currently make such a distinction, so any changes to the regulation must take this into consideration. Please read the entire article for a more detail discussion.
David B. Warheit
Toxicol. Sci. 2008, 101 (2), 183-185
doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfm279
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