Advances in Risk Assessment of Nano-Pesticides

Abstract

The implementation of nanotechnology has been rapidly expanding into various industries over the years, including medicine, food, energy generation, agriculture, etc. It deals with particles that are usually engineered within the size range of 1–100 nm. Nanoparticles can be found in multiple formulations such as nanocapsules, nanoemulsions, nanodispersions, etc. made to enhance the efficacy and durability of the active ingredients added to the formulation as well as decrease the number of active ingredients required (1). The implementation of such recent technologies has been recently directed toward improving food quality and agricultural productivity. The aim is to protect the crops from insects, weeds, and other pests that would destroy them or, at the very least, compromise their productivity (2). This has been usually achieved by administering pesticides, which are substances or a mixture of substances that prevent, destroy, mitigate, and repel pests (3). However, the continued use of pesticides on crops comes with adverse effects such as the development of resistance against such pesticides and causing environmental imbalance (4).