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Engineered Nanoparticles: A Cause for Responsible Innovation Essay

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The field of Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of infinitesimally small matter. The National Nanotechnology Initiative defines nanotechnology as the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers. By employing nanotechnology and its opportunity for miniaturisation in the development of consumer products, we have placed ourselves on a paradigm changing technology path permitting considerable efficiency savings in terms of cost, energy and resources. These developments would surely have not been possible without the avail of nanotechnological processes. Accordingly, the field of nanotechnology is a rapidly expanding and major innovative force amongst the scientific community, and the increasing…show more content…
In the process of respiration, the particles are uptaken through the alveolar regions in the lungs and consequently enter the body allowing them to interact with many vital bodily components up to 100 nanometers in size. The incorporation of nanotechnology in drug administration (parenteral routes) is also an area of serious concern. The process of endocytosis via the endocytotic pathway is naturally exploited by many viral pathogens and this phenomenon has spawned the ground-breaking medical technology known as nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery systems. Although these systems are currently used to observe areas affected by neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, systemic circulation through the parenteral routes has the potential to be exceedingly harmful leading to such effects as vascular homeostasis, degradation of immune and inflammatory systems, and increased pro-inflammatory activity. Once Nanoparticles have entered the bloodstream their organ accessibility is virtually limitless; succinctly, entry via the blood stream grants nanoparticles the capacity to interact with nearly every single bodily component resulting in a wide array of anonymous and potentially adverse health complications.
The ecotoxicological impact of engineered nanoparticles has the potential to influence both the terrestrial and aquatic environments. It is in water that nanoparticles contribute most to
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