A predictive toxicological paradigm for the safety assessment of nanomaterials.

The rate of expansion of nanomaterials calls for the consideration of appropriate toxicological paradigms in the safety assessment of nanomaterials. We advocate a predictive toxicological paradigm for the assessment of nanomaterial hazards. The predictive toxicological approach is defined as establishing and using mechanisms and pathways of injury at a cellular and molecular level to prioritize screening for adverse biological effects and health outcomes in vivo. Specifically as it relates to nanomaterials, a predictive approach has to consider the physicochemical properties of the material that leads to molecular or cellular injury and also has to be valid in terms of disease pathogenesis in whole organisms.