By David Liu PHDEating foods or dietary supplements with nanoparticles like iron oxide and zinc oxide can cause irreversible damage, according to research conducted by Dr. Rigitta Szalay of University of Szeged in Szeged, Hungary.In 2012, Dr. Szalay published online her doctoral thesis titled Iron Oxide Nanoparticles and Their Toxicological Effects, which shows that iron oxide, a type of nanoparticle, getting into human through airways causes damage to the lungs and suppresses immunity.The research was intended to answer some questions concerning the safety of nanoparticles such as titanium oxide, zinc oxide and iron oxide which are commonly used in foods and cosmetic products.  Specifically, the researcher wanted to know, 1) Does intratracheal application of iron oxide nanoparticles cause any general toxic effect and histopathological changes in rat organs? 2) Does it cause any toxic effect on rat respiratory system? 3) Does it cause any harmful effect in in vitro cell lines? Dr. Szalay found the following:1) Acute intratracheal application of iron oxide nanoparticles had evident general toxic effect (altered  body and lung weights) and caused  specific pathomorphological  damage in the treated rats’ lungs.2) NPs which reached the lower airways proved to be  immunosuppressive: there was decreased immunoglobulin level (IgM and IgG) in the peripherial bronchioles. However, two components of pulmonary redox system (GSH and EC-SOD) did not change, therefore further examination is required.3) The NPs caused irreversible injury to the membranes of alveolar cells. Human A549 cells were more sensitive than animal cells. Our results showed connection between damage of lung cells and production of chemokines. The alveolar epithelial cells could produce chemokines  which may regulate inflammatory and immune responses in the alveolar microenvironment. The iron oxide NPs had moderate cytotoxic effect on Vero cell line.Early stuides have already found that exposure to nanoparticles through foods and cosmetics can impose genotoxic effects.  Russian research found that both nanoparticles (smaller than 100 micrometer in diameter) and microparticles (greater than 100 micrometer in diameter) can cause a series of toxic effects.  It is generally agreed that the adverse effects are induced by nanoparticles because of their sizes.  Studies showed that nanoparticles which are not soluble or not immediately soluble can disrupt DNA, causing mutations which can further cause carcinogenesis or cancer development.Some nanoparticles are used as nutrients such as iron oxide and iron oxide which are commonly used in foods such as cereals as nutrition fortification agents. They are also commonly used to make dietary supplements.  Nanoparticles are legally used in almost all types of processed foods including preserved fruits and dairy products.More articles on foodconsumers.org

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