Nanotechnology environmental, health, and safety issues: brief literature review since 2000

Despite the many touted benefits of nanotechnology, growing concerns exist regarding the potential environmental, health, and safety (EHS) risks associated with nanomaterials. The number of published research papers in this area has grown significantly in recent years, mostly focused on nanotoxicology. Characterizing the current scientific literature is important for understanding the diversity of efforts over a range of fields. This article presents a brief review of nano-EHS literature published since 2000 with particular emphasis on non-toxicological risk analysis trends, although the number of such studies is limited compared to toxicological studies. Understanding these trends can provide important insights to scientists, engineers, and regulators.