Special Issue on Nanomaterials: Measurement, Fate, and Future

Nanoparticle engineering experienced a development stage between the 1980s and the year 2000. After this period of exploratory research, an enormous spectrum of possibilities was generated, giving rise to thousands of different applications in every imaginable industrial field. This explosion of novel technology, as all previous technical advances, was not in synchronicity with proper knowledge of the possible risks to be monitored and the consequent necessary regulations. An important difference with previous industrial revolutions rests in the fact that different sectors of society learned from past experiences to express their concerns about this issue. In this sense, the world is in an evolutionary period, for the first time, striving to prevent adverse effects of the technological advances to maximize the benefit for the global society by improving the environmental quality at the same time.

As in every decision humanity takes, the possible benefits must be weighed against the losses that could be incurred through the introduction of novel materials, but having enough information in time means posing a debate about the future health of society and the environment in the field of ethics and planning before any adverse effect is registered. This is per se a quantum advance when compared with humanity’s previous history of palliative measurements and banning only after discovering the noxiousness of products that were supposed to be a panacea (being the best example the use of chemical pesticides). Therefore, the argument can be made that every publication evaluating the upside or downside of nanotechnology and the development of novel or integrative techniques for testing this materials is a step forward not only from the scientific point of view, but also as an act of collaboration in the progress towards a better global society that integrates sustainable environment aspects.

Following the need for discussion and the existing issues, this special issue is an attempt to elicit updated information on

This issue also presents two articles contrasting the research planning between developed and developing countries and how nanomaterials are being promoted and simultaneously regulated in Brazil while Mexico is seeking to develop this area with increased economical benefits.

In short, the present issue provides the reader with a view on the behavior of engineered nanoparticles in the environment, the current methods for their analysis, and regulatory and sociological analyses from different perspectives. All this needs to be evaluated in an integrative manner to improve the environmental quality and life standard for both current and future generations.