Safety and biocompatibility of graphene: A new generation nanomaterial for biomedical application

Graphene, a material with great application potential is expected to revolutionize various fields in the near future particularly biomedical field with its inherent properties. However, significant increase in the research on graphene in the recent years has created anxiety about their safety/biocompatibility towards living organisms. Though there is increase in reports on graphene synthesis and application, in parallel reports on unwanted toxic effects of these materials is under scrutiny. Before exploiting their use, any engineered nanomaterials should undergo through investigation regarding the risk and health hazards imposed by them. Toxicity of nanomaterial depends on many factors like size, shape, surface chemistry, dose, duration and the biological milieu. In this account, we reviewed physico-chemical properties of graphene that plays a key role in toxicity prediction. We also detailed some examples of the in vitro and in vivo toxicity studies that have been published so far. The potential environmental risk associated with these carbon materials is also addressed, in order to avoid unintentional leaching of these materials into surface water.