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Nanoparticles
Scientists call for national standards program to monitor effects on health
By Sarah Whyte
Scientists are calling for a national standards body to
monitor the safety of nanomaterials — the tiny materials found in everything
from the icing on a cake to make-up.
Key points:
· Nanoparticles are engineered particles 1,000 times smaller
than the width of human hair
· Scientists particularly concerned about the use of the
nanoparticle titanium dioxide
· Can be found in anything from make-up to everyday food
products, like mayonnaise
Some European countries have banned
the use of certain nanoparticles, and a University of Sydney team has said
better regulations are needed.
They said there was not a good
understanding of how the particles could be affecting people's health and the
environment.
What contains nanomaterials?
You might not know it, but you could
be carrying nanoparticles around right now.
"Lipstick is a very good example; typically there is a
large number of nanoparticles because they produce very nice aesthetic finish
to your lips," Sydney University senior lecturer Dr
Wojtek Chrzanowski said.
Nanoparticles are engineered
particles that are 1,000 times smaller than the width of human hair.
Dr Chrzanowski said the science of
nanoparticles has developed much faster than regulators could keep up with.
He said of particular concern was the
use of the nanoparticle titanium dioxide (TiO2), which can be found in many
foods — from chewing gum to the icing on cakes.
Dr Chrzanowski said a nano safety
Australia program needed to be established, which could combine different
universities and institutions to monitor the safety of those nanomaterials.
He said there was simply not enough
information on how nanoparticles were affecting people, even though some have
positive benefits.
"In cancer therapies some of the drugs are actually
delivered with nanoparticles and it makes the therapy much more
effective," Dr Chrzanowski said.
"Whether there is actually some negative effect of those
particles which we are consuming, not being necessarily really conscious that
we are consuming them, and they are very common in food."
How does it impact on health?
Titanium dioxide is a naturally
occurring mineral mined from the earth, processed and refined, and added to a
variety of food and other consumer products.
It is used as a colour and sheen
enhancer in certain foods, as well as being key for food safety applications.
A chicken sandwich for lunch might
even contain titanium dioxide — if it has been combined with certain types of
mayonnaise.
Dr Laurence Macia, immunologist and
senior research fellow at Sydney University, said in terms of the damage that
could cause a person, it could potentially change their gut microbiota.
"But again, it's very dynamic. So if it's a one-off, that's
OK, but if you ate your mayonnaise every day, that can have a long-term
effect," she said.
Dr Macia said adding titanium dioxide
to foods was merely aesthetic and had zero nutritional value.
"So we don't add that to our food to increase the power of
the food, it's just to make it nicer," she said.
"My question is … how this impacts on our health — so the
gut, microbiota and the immune system."
That question could be answered by
further research, Dr Macia said.
"We need evidence-based research to know what it's doing,
and once we have that we should tell people the maximum they should be
eating," she said.
Human body 'barely absorbs it'
Dr Scott Crerar, from Food Standards
Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), said they were very aware of the science behind
the use of nanoparticles in food.
"We've strengthened the requirements around manufacturers
if they are producing technology-related foods or ingredients. They must apply
to FSANZ [for] an assessment of the safety of that food," he said.
Dr Crerar said there have been
longstanding studies looking at the adverse effects of titanium dioxide, which
he said has been in the food supply for decades.
"It's actually a very inert substance, it doesn't really do
much in the body. It's barely absorbed, it would go through the system
unchanged essentially,"
he said.
Sarah Whyte is a
reporter for ABC, based in Sydney. Sarah was previously at the 7.30 program and
before that worked as immigration reporter in Canberra for Fairfax Media. Sarah
has won two joint Walkley awards for her work on Australia’s treatment of
asylum seekers and Bangladeshi sweatshops.
Twitter: @sarwhyte Facebook: SarahWhyteJournalist
Twitter: @sarwhyte Facebook: SarahWhyteJournalist
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