Nanoparticles in drinking water: Assessing health risks and regulatory challenges

Nanoparticles (NPs) pose a significant concern in drinking water due to their potential health risks and environmental impact. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the current understanding of NP sources and contamination in drinking water, focusing on health concerns, mitigation strategies, regulatory frameworks, and future perspectives. This review highlights the importance of nano-specific pathways, fate processes, health risks & toxicity, and the need for realistic toxicity assessments. Different NPs like titanium dioxide, silver, nanoplastics, nanoscale liquid crystal monomers, copper oxide, and others pose potential health risks through ingestion, inhalation, or dermal exposure, impacting organs and potentially leading to oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, DNA damage, cytotoxicity, disrupt intracellular energetic mechanisms, reactive oxygen species generation, respiratory and immune toxicity, and genotoxicity in humans. Utilizing case studies and literature reviews, we investigate the health risks associated with NPs in freshwater environments, emphasizing their relevance to drinking water quality. Various mitigation and treatment strategies, including filtration systems (e.g., reverse osmosis, and ultra/nano-filtration), adsorption processes, coagulation/flocculation, electrocoagulation, advanced oxidation processes, membrane distillation, and ultraviolet treatment, all of which demonstrate high removal efficiencies for NPs from drinking water. Regulatory frameworks and challenges for the production, applications, and disposal of NPs at both national and international levels are discussed, emphasizing the need for tailored regulations to address NP contamination and standardize safety testing and risk assessment practices. Looking ahead, this review underscores the necessity of advancing detection methods and nanomaterial-based treatment technologies while stressing the pivotal role of public awareness and tailored regulatory guidelines in upholding drinking water quality standards. This review emphasizes the urgency of addressing NP contamination in drinking water and provides insights into potential solutions and future research directions. Lastly, this review worth concluded with future recommendations on advanced analytical techniques and sensitive sensors for NP detection for safeguarding public health and policy implementations.