Australia needs a nanosafety authority
New nanomaterials that benefit humanity are being synthesised every day. Researchers want to work with regulators to make sure they are safe.
Associate Professor Wojciech Chrzanowski is Health and Medicine research theme leader at the University of Sydney Nano Institute.
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Academics at the University of Sydney have today called for the establishment of a national standards body to monitor the safety of nanomaterials commonly found in food, house paint, supplements and cosmetics sold in Australia.
Some of these products, such as colloidal silver and titanium dioxide, are restricted or under review in the European Union but freely available in the Australian market. Nanomaterials are engineered particles smaller than 100 nanometres in size 鈥� about a thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair.
from the Faculty of Pharmacy and said: 鈥淥ur bodies are well evolved to deal with most nanoparticles if our cells are healthy.
鈥淲hat we don鈥檛 fully understand is what impact they have on cells that are under stress or in people with suppressed immune systems, such as chemotherapy patients or people living with HIV,鈥� he said.
Associate Professor Chrzanowski is an adviser to the World Health Organisation on nanosafety. He said that the revolution in nanotechnology has been overwhelmingly positive for human health, particularly in improved drug delivery.
However, he said that the science is developing faster than our regulatory oversight.
鈥淭here are new nanoparticles being synthesised every day and the truth is we don鈥檛 know exactly what impact they can have on human health,鈥� Associate Professor Chrzanowski said.
鈥淲e are calling for the establishment of Nanosafety Australia to work with existing regulatory bodies to ensure that we fully understand any risks we face from introducing nanomaterials into our diet and environment.鈥�
Associate Professor Chrzanowski and , an immunologist in University of Sydney鈥檚 School of Medical Sciences, are delivering a talk today at a about the impact of food-grade titanium dioxide on the immune system.
Dr Macia said: 鈥淭itanium dioxide is found in toothpaste, icing and in coatings for chewing gum and other sweets, such as Mentos. It鈥檚 even a recommended additive in at least one recipe on the .
鈥淢y research is looking at the impact of titanium dioxide on gut microbia and how this can affect the human immune system,鈥� she said.
鈥淭here is a debate in the EU about this already. France and Germany have removed some products that contain nanomaterials, such as titanium dioxide, and it is a requirement products are labelled to show they have nanomaterials, but there isn鈥檛 even a discussion in Australia.
鈥淲e actually don鈥檛 know the impact these materials have on our immune systems over time.鈥�
, director of the University of Sydney Nano Institute, said: 鈥淣anotechnology is delivering profoundly positive changes for health and medicine, including new ways to diagnose diseases early. Nanotechnology is also allowing us to deliver medicines precisely to target cells and to produce implantable medical devices for a wide range of clinical indications, including heart disease, hearing loss, intractable wounds and arthritis.
鈥淗owever we must also ensure we fully understand the impacts new technology has on society. That is the essential mission of Sydney Nano: to discover, develop and harness nanotechnology for the benefit of humanity.鈥�
