Exposure, Health and Ecological Effects Review of Engineered Nanoscale Cerium and Cerium Oxide Associated with its Use as a Fuel Additive

Advances of nanoscale science have produced nanomaterials with unique physical and chemical properties at commercial levels which are now incorporated into over 1000 products. Nanoscale cerium (di) oxide (CeO2) has recently gained a wide range of applications which includes coatings, electronics, biomedical, energy and fuel additives. Many applications of engineered CeO2 nanoparticles are dispersive in nature increasing the risk of exposure and interactions with a variety of environmental media with unknown health, safety and environmental implications. As evident from a risk assessment perspective, the health effects of CeO2 nanoparticles are not only dependent on their intrinsic toxicity but also on the level of exposure to these novel materials. Although this may seem logical, numerous studies have assessed the health effects of nanoparticles without this simple but critical risk assessment perspective. This review extends previous exposure and toxicological assessments for CeO2 particles by summarizin...