Nanotechnology is a much talked about, and rapidly expanding area of science, which is sometimes little understood. It looks set to make a significant impact on human life and, with numerous commercial developments emerging, will become a major industry over the coming years. Nanotechnology can be broadly described as developing or exploiting products at nanometre dimensions (i.e. as having one dimension less than 100 nanometres). Such materials have a larger surface area to volume ratio than conventional materials which provides them with an increased level of reactivity, and consequently, toxicity per unit mass. This book sets the subject into context by first of all describing the current range of products containing nano-materials and then looking at the consequences for the environment and human health relating to the introduction of nanoparticles and nano-tubes. Nanotechnology: Consequences for Human Health and the Environment discusses some of the more controversial issues associated with the field including: nanoparticles in the environment, occupational exposure, toxicological properties, human health issues and safety. This authoritative and comprehensive book will be of interest to both scientists and technologists but also to regulators and government. This title is also available in hardback.
Ron Hester is an emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of York. In addition to his research work on a wide range of applications of vibrational spectroscopy, he has been actively involved in environmental chemistry and was a founder member of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Environment Group. His current activities are mainly as an editor and as an external examiner and assessor on courses, individual promotions, and departmental/subject area evaluations both in the UK and abroad.
Roy Harrison OBE is Queen Elizabeth II Birmingham Centenary Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Birmingham. In 2004 he was appointed OBE for services to environmental science. Professor Harrison’s research interests lie in the field of environment and human health. His main specialism is in air pollution, from emissions through atmospheric chemical and physical transformations to exposure and effects on human health. Much of this work is designed to inform the development of policy.
