“Engineered nanomaterials can have chemical, physical, and biological properties that may differ from those of their larger counterparts. There is striking evidence that nanomaterials add a lot of value to consumer goods, but we also need to understand if there are any potential unintended consequences of their use,” the “Addressing Uncertainties of the Toxicology of Nanomaterials in Food and Food Contact Products” co-chairs told me.
In their session today, Annette B. Santamaria, PhD, MPH, DABT, Exponent Corporation, and Christie M. Sayes, PhD, Research Triangle Institute International, hoped to elucidate what is currently being done in the scientific and regulatory communities to evaluate the safety of nanomaterials in foods and food packaging, as well as discuss where there are data gaps.
Assisting in this effort were:
- Scott Thurmond, PhD, US FDA;
- Richard Canady, PhD, ILSI Research Foundation; and
- Stephen M. Roberts, PhD, University of Florida.
During his presentation, Dr. Thurmond relayed the US FDA’s perspective on nanomaterials in food and food packaging as expressed in its draft guidance on food-related products that may contain materials using nanotechnology. The US FDA believes its safety assessment frameworks are sufficiently robust and flexible enough to consider a variety of materials, including those on the nano scale.
Dr. Canady described the difficulties in measuring nanomaterials in food. He presented findings from the NanoRelease project, which brought together experts to define what “nano” in food means for understanding risk and what tests are needed on these nanomaterials.
Nanomaterials can undergo important changes, like clumping or dissolving, when ingested that can affect how much is absorbed into the body, where they go in the body, and the effects they produce, according to Dr. Roberts. His lab has been researching nanomaterial behavior and interactions in the GI tract.
The last to present was co-chair Dr. Sayes who focused on the modern tools and techniques being used by scientists to determine the potential adverse health effects associated with ingesting nanomaterials. She described her lab’s development of a three-cell gut model to assess the effects of nanomaterials and other man-made materials on bacterial biofilm and mammalian cells.