Explain what Aggregration and Agglomeration of Nanoparticles is in Simple Terms. Why are Aggregration/Agglomeration Concerns; Why is it a Nanotoxicology Topic?
Posted by ETISfounder on Thursday, August 30, 2012 Under: Beginning Building Blocks
Straightforwardly put, aggregation, and agglomeration, both refer to when a quantity of something is considered all one mass.
Based on actual semantics of the word, aggregate, there seems some irony in applying aggregate to the tight fusing and bounding together of nanoparticles, while agglomeration is used when describing loosely bound particles. The application of the words aggregate for tightly bound and agglomerate for loosely bound, reportedly comes from ISO and ASTM. [Unless the source of this information has it reversed, which is extremely doubtful.]
What is ISO? International Organization for Standardization.
What is ASTM? American Society for Testing and Materials.
You can have an aggregate of something that never sticks together, or even an aggregate of something that is not tangible, such as the aggregate of a financial sum, or aggregate income.
Agglomeration is similar in sound to conglomerate, and is almost the same in meaning.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary online defines aggregation as:
1: a group, body, or mass composed of many distinct parts or individuals
2:
a : the collecting of units or parts into a mass or whole
b : the condition of being so collected
And agglomeration is defined:
1: the action or process of collecting in a mass
2: a heap or cluster of usually disparate elements
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agglomeration?show=0&t=1346292334
Remember, the root word nano, in nanoparticles, and nanotoxicology, has to do with being extremely tiny, such as the Nano Smartphones. Nanoparticles are that are so small they can seep right through your skin, and they can flow through your bloodstream.
Altogether, aggregation and agglomeration, have to do with the tiny particles, sticking together, or their in-effect combination of all being in the same generalized localized area at the same time. Depending on how the nanoparticles aggregate/agglomerate, they could forming larger masses.
Concerns arise, when aggregates and agglomerated groupings of nanoparticles start to 'behave', do things, and have effects on humans, that are outside the scope of what has already been discovered, predicted, or authorities in the field have full knowledge and understanding of. The agglomeration or aggregation of the particles could be a reason why the nanoparticles behave in one of these offshoot manners.
Further, there lies the possibility that these offshoot behaviors, of the original nanoparticle, or the grouping, might be toxic, basically acting as if they are poisonous, and could make you ill. Arriving at the obvious meaning of nanotoxicology, which has to do with nano sized particles, and the potentialities and realities of the nanoparticles being toxic.
There is a farther-fetched possibility, which is not that much of a pressing concern because nanotechnology is still a relatively new filed, which is when an amount of nanoparticles enters the body, and they do clump together, or form a mass, if there is a large enough quantity, the new mass that forms, might be larger than what can be healthy, or even large enough that it is no longer a nanoparticle.
An easy to understand analogy, is trying to swallow something to large in one gulp. Can you imagine trying to swallow an unpeeled pineapple whole at one try? It would probably hurt, if it could ever get down far enough in your throat. Now imagine a pineapple being rammed down the tubes from your throat, impossible, but for the sake of illustration, that is what happens when a particle that is too big, or a microscopic size particle that is not fully qualified as small enough for safe nanotechnology medical use in the bloodstream, is flowing through a bloodstream of a human. The particle cannot fit through, just like a pineapple cannot fit when swallowed; it can be very painful, and have other effects detrimental to health. When nanoparticles start sticking together to form a mass, the resulting mass may no longer meet the nano size requirements or thresholds, that it is safe for your bloodstream, amongst other health side-effects.
Even if the nanoparticles do not directly stick together forming a larger mass, having too many nanoparticles that is not specified by the medical doctor or authority, can be harmful.
Based on actual semantics of the word, aggregate, there seems some irony in applying aggregate to the tight fusing and bounding together of nanoparticles, while agglomeration is used when describing loosely bound particles. The application of the words aggregate for tightly bound and agglomerate for loosely bound, reportedly comes from ISO and ASTM. [Unless the source of this information has it reversed, which is extremely doubtful.]
What is ISO? International Organization for Standardization.
What is ASTM? American Society for Testing and Materials.
You can have an aggregate of something that never sticks together, or even an aggregate of something that is not tangible, such as the aggregate of a financial sum, or aggregate income.
Agglomeration is similar in sound to conglomerate, and is almost the same in meaning.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary online defines aggregation as:
1: a group, body, or mass composed of many distinct parts or individuals
2:
a : the collecting of units or parts into a mass or whole
b : the condition of being so collected
And agglomeration is defined:
1: the action or process of collecting in a mass
2: a heap or cluster of usually disparate elements
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agglomeration?show=0&t=1346292334
Remember, the root word nano, in nanoparticles, and nanotoxicology, has to do with being extremely tiny, such as the Nano Smartphones. Nanoparticles are that are so small they can seep right through your skin, and they can flow through your bloodstream.
Altogether, aggregation and agglomeration, have to do with the tiny particles, sticking together, or their in-effect combination of all being in the same generalized localized area at the same time. Depending on how the nanoparticles aggregate/agglomerate, they could forming larger masses.
Concerns arise, when aggregates and agglomerated groupings of nanoparticles start to 'behave', do things, and have effects on humans, that are outside the scope of what has already been discovered, predicted, or authorities in the field have full knowledge and understanding of. The agglomeration or aggregation of the particles could be a reason why the nanoparticles behave in one of these offshoot manners.
Further, there lies the possibility that these offshoot behaviors, of the original nanoparticle, or the grouping, might be toxic, basically acting as if they are poisonous, and could make you ill. Arriving at the obvious meaning of nanotoxicology, which has to do with nano sized particles, and the potentialities and realities of the nanoparticles being toxic.
There is a farther-fetched possibility, which is not that much of a pressing concern because nanotechnology is still a relatively new filed, which is when an amount of nanoparticles enters the body, and they do clump together, or form a mass, if there is a large enough quantity, the new mass that forms, might be larger than what can be healthy, or even large enough that it is no longer a nanoparticle.
An easy to understand analogy, is trying to swallow something to large in one gulp. Can you imagine trying to swallow an unpeeled pineapple whole at one try? It would probably hurt, if it could ever get down far enough in your throat. Now imagine a pineapple being rammed down the tubes from your throat, impossible, but for the sake of illustration, that is what happens when a particle that is too big, or a microscopic size particle that is not fully qualified as small enough for safe nanotechnology medical use in the bloodstream, is flowing through a bloodstream of a human. The particle cannot fit through, just like a pineapple cannot fit when swallowed; it can be very painful, and have other effects detrimental to health. When nanoparticles start sticking together to form a mass, the resulting mass may no longer meet the nano size requirements or thresholds, that it is safe for your bloodstream, amongst other health side-effects.
Even if the nanoparticles do not directly stick together forming a larger mass, having too many nanoparticles that is not specified by the medical doctor or authority, can be harmful.
In : Beginning Building Blocks
Tags: nano nanoparticles nanotechnology nanotoxicology aggregation agglomeration toxic illness iso astm poison
