The release of engineered nanomaterials to the environment

There is scientific agreement that engineered nanomaterial (ENM) production, use and disposal lead to environmental release of ENM. However, very little is known on emissions of ENM to the environment. Currently, techniques are lacking to quantitatively monitor ENM emissions to and concentrations in the environment, and hence data on emissions and environmental concentrations are scarce. One of the few available studies reports the detection of nano-TiO(2) in water leaching from exterior facades. Some experimental evidence is available on the release of nanosized materials from commercial textiles during washing. A handful of modeling studies have investigated ENM release to the environment. These studies…