Q.What are the possible harmful effects of usage of Nanoparticles? Why?
Step 1 (Why -- the size match). Nanoparticles have dimensions similar to those of biological molecules such as proteins. This size match is the root cause of every harmful effect discussed: it lets nanoparticles easily get adsorbed onto the surface of living organisms and, from there, enter the tissues and fluids of the body.
Step 2 (The double-edged adsorbing property). How strongly a nanoparticle adsorbs depends on its surface characteristics. This can be exploited deliberately for good (engineering a nanoparticle's surface to adsorb specifically onto a target cell is what makes targeted drug delivery possible), but the same mechanism means an uncontrolled nanoparticle can adsorb just as readily onto healthy tissue.
Step 3 (Size-dependent penetration). Nanoparticles only a few nanometres across can reach well inside biomolecules and cross cell membranes in a way larger nanoparticles cannot; inhaled nanoparticles can reach the bloodstream and, from there, other organs such as the liver, heart, or blood cells.
Step 4 (Specific disease associations). A companion diagram links specific exposure routes to specific disease families: ingestion (Crohn's disease, colon cancer), orthopedic-implant wear debris (auto-immune diseases, dermatitis, urticaria, vasculitis), inhalation (asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, cancer, and via the heart, arrhythmia/heart disease/death), and particles reaching the brain (Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease).
Step 5 (Why it's still an open question). Because size, shape, chemical composition and surface characteristics all affect the response, researchers are still actively trying to understand how living organisms respond to nanoparticles across this whole range of variables -- none of it can be assumed safe just because a particle is 'nano'.
Because nanoparticles match the size of biological molecules like proteins, they can adsorb onto and enter living tissue, cross cell membranes, and (if inhaled) reach the blood and internal organs -- linked to disease families including GI disorders, auto-immune disease, respiratory disease, cardiac disease, and neurological disease (Parkinson's, Alzheimer's).
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