Every day, people are exposed to nanomaterials in products.
Nanomaterials are smaller than conventional chemicals;
a thousand times smaller than the diameter of a human hair,
giving them special properties.
Therefore, nanomaterials are currently used in consumer products.
Examples are silver nanoparticles in deodorant to camouflage odors,
and titanium dioxide nanoparticles in sunscreens to obtain a higher protection factor.
Worldwide, a lot of research into new applications of nanomaterials is being performed.
This research focusses for example on the production of efficient solar cells,
dirt-repellent textiles, new anti-cancer drugs,
and fast computers. Besides useful properties,
nanomaterials might have properties that could harm the human health.
Therefore, at the RIVM we investigate the potential health risks of
the use of nanomaterials in products.
Many sprays contain nanomaterials,
therefore our research focuses on the effects after inhalation of nanomaterials.
Moreover, the lungs are more vulnerable than the skin,
for example. To test the effect of nanomaterials we developed a lung model
in the laboratory.
The lung model consists of real human lung cells.
We use the lung model to investigate whether the nanomaterials cause damage
to the lungs after inhalation.
We also investigate if the nanomaterials can reach the blood via the lungs and
from there other organs of the body.
This is not harmful if the nanomaterials are cleared,
but it might be dangerous if the nanomaterials accumulate in other organs of the body.
The term nanomaterials is an umbrella term.
All nanomaterials have in common that they are small.
Besides that, nanomaterials can differ in various properties.
They may differ in size, shape, type, and coating.
All these properties might influence the effect after inhalation,
making the research very challenging. Should the investigation find that
certain properties of nanomaterials are dangerous,
the manufacturers will be warned. In this way,
the RIVM contributes to consumer safety.