Nanomaterials are no longer confined to laboratories and scientific journals; they quietly shape many aspects of daily life, industry, medicine, and environmental work. From structures that have existed in nature for eons to engineered materials deliberately designed for new functions, nanoscale matter is embedded in products and processes that touch millions of people.

A compact introduction: what counts as a nanomaterial

At very small scales, materials can display behaviors that differ from the same substances in bulk form. These differences are often what make nanomaterials interesting to researchers and manufacturers. Some nanoscale structures occur naturally and play integral roles in living systems and ecosystems. Others are engineered — created with specific properties in mind — and incorporated into consumer goods, industrial components, medical tools, and environmental technologies. Understanding where nanomaterials appear helps explain why they are the subject of intense scientific study and public interest.

Natural nanomaterials: life’s tiny building blocks

Nature has been producing nanoscale structures long before humans recognized them. Biological systems routinely rely on assemblies and particles at the nanoscale to carry out essential functions. Proteins circulating in the bloodstream, for example, form nanoscale structures that interact with cells and other biomolecules. Lipids — the molecules that are stored in fat and transported through the blood — organize into nanoscale arrangements that influence energy balance, signaling, and membrane function.

Outside the human body, natural nanomaterials are found across the environment. Fine mineral particles in soil and air, organic nanostructures in plant tissues, and assemblies within microorganisms all operate at the nanoscale. Even geological and atmospheric processes can generate nanoparticles that influence climate, water chemistry, and soil health. Far from being an exotic exception, the nanoscale is an everyday element of biological and environmental systems.

Engineered nanomaterials in consumer products

Over the last decades, engineered nanomaterials (often abbreviated ENMs) have been intentionally incorporated into a wide range of consumer goods. Manufacturers have turned to nanotechnology because nanoscale features can confer functional advantages — altered optical behavior, enhanced mechanical strength, improved barrier properties, or new catalytic activity — without substantially changing the product’s external form.

Typical consumer categories where ENMs are present include personal care and household products, textiles, sporting goods, and electronics. In personal care, engineered particles can improve the feel and spreadability of formulations and may influence how products interact with skin. Textiles treated with nanoscale additives can resist stains or wear, and sporting equipment sometimes uses nanomaterials to reduce weight while maintaining strength. In electronics, nanoscale components help the industry continue a long-term trend toward smaller, more power-efficient devices.

Because these materials are embedded in familiar products, they often become part of routine human exposure — whether through skin contact, inhalation of tiny particles released during use, or shedding of treated fibers. That ubiquity has driven research into how human and environmental exposures should be assessed and managed.

Medical uses: diagnosis, imaging, and targeted delivery

Nanomaterials are increasingly prominent in healthcare research and practice. Their small size and tunable surface properties make them well suited for roles where precise interaction with biological systems matters. In diagnostic imaging, nanoscale contrast agents can improve visibility of tissues and structures. In therapeutics, nanoscale carriers are designed to transport drugs in ways that enhance delivery to intended targets while limiting exposure elsewhere in the body.

One area of particular interest is delivery systems that can protect a drug, control its release, or help it cross biological barriers. These approaches are being investigated in a range of conditions, and they offer the potential to improve efficacy and reduce side effects. At the same time, medicine’s use of nanomaterials raises unique questions about long-term behavior in the body, clearance mechanisms, and how to evaluate safety when traditional testing methods may not fully capture nanoscale interactions.

Industrial and technological applications

Beyond consumer items and medicine, nanomaterials play roles across many industrial sectors. Materials used in construction, transportation, and manufacturing can be improved by additives that alter strength, thermal behavior, or chemical resistance. In energy and electronics, nanoscale structures support advances in efficiency and performance — for example, by allowing better control over electrical and optical properties or by enabling lighter and more durable components.

In advanced manufacturing, nanomaterials are used in coatings, composites, and surface treatments to extend service life or add new functionality. These technologies can contribute to energy savings, longer product lifetimes, and improved performance, which in turn affects resource use and waste generation. However, industrial-scale use also means that production, handling, and disposal pathways must be considered when assessing environmental and worker safety.

Environmental remediation and sustainability

Nanomaterials are used in efforts to address pollution and restore ecosystems. Their high surface area and reactive properties can make them effective at capturing contaminants, breaking down pollutants, or transforming hazardous substances into less harmful forms. In water treatment and soil remediation, researchers and practitioners are exploring how engineered particles can target specific contaminants or enable more efficient cleanup strategies.

At the same time, the deployment of nanomaterials for environmental purposes requires care. Questions about persistence, mobility in soils and water, and interactions with living organisms must be addressed so that remediation strategies do not create unintended effects. Monitoring and life-cycle thinking are important when evaluating whether a nanoscale solution provides an overall environmental benefit.

Where exposure pathways intersect: how nanomaterials move

Understanding where nanomaterials are found also involves tracking how they move through systems. When used in products, they can be released during manufacture, use, cleaning, or disposal. Workers in manufacturing and recycling settings may face different exposure risks than consumers. Once released, nanoparticles can travel through air, water, and soil, and they can enter organisms either directly or through the food chain.

This movement raises two related points. First, exposure depends on context: a nanomaterial embedded in a stable composite may pose little risk of release, while one used in loose powder form could generate airborne particles. Second, environmental fate — whether a particle degrades, aggregates, or binds to other materials — determines persistence and bioavailability. Both exposure and fate are active areas of research and are central to developing responsible use strategies.

Governance, safety research, and public concern

As the use of nanomaterials spreads, regulators, researchers, industry groups, and civil society have turned attention to safety evaluation and governance. Because nanomaterials can behave differently than larger-scale materials of the same chemical composition, standard testing approaches sometimes need adaptation. Toxicology, ecotoxicology, and exposure science are evolving to better characterize how nanoscale materials interact with biological systems and environments.

Regulatory bodies in different regions have developed frameworks to assess engineered nanomaterials, often focusing on characterization, hazard assessment, exposure estimation, and risk management. Industry actors may adopt voluntary practices for safer production and handling. At the same time, public interest in the potential risks and benefits of nanomaterials continues to shape research priorities and regulatory action. Transparent communication about where nanomaterials are found and how they are managed helps inform informed choices by consumers and decision makers.

A table of typical locations, uses, and considerations

Where they are found	Common uses and roles	Why manufacturers choose them	Key considerations
Personal care and household products	Improve texture, protection, or durability	Small size enables different optical and surface properties	Possible skin exposure and need for safety testing
Textiles and sporting goods	Add stain resistance, strength, or lightness	Enhance performance without changing design	Release from wear, laundering, and disposal
Electronics and energy devices	Enable smaller components, improved conductivity or efficiency	Control over electrical and optical behavior	Difficulties in recycling and component recovery
Medical tools and therapeutics	Imaging contrast, targeted delivery, diagnostic assays	Precise interaction with biological targets	Biocompatibility, clearance, long-term fate in the body
Environmental remediation systems	Capture or transform contaminants	High surface area and reactivity	Mobility in the environment and secondary impacts
Industrial materials and coatings	Improve resilience, reduce weight, extend life	Modify mechanical and chemical properties	Worker safety during manufacture and end-of-life handling

Research frontiers and knowledge gaps

Researchers continue to investigate how nanomaterials behave across scales and settings. Major research questions include how particles interact with complex biological systems, how they transform in environmental matrices, and how to design materials that deliver benefits while minimizing unintended effects. There is also growing interest in developing test methods and standards that account for nanoscale behavior, and in creating design strategies that consider the entire lifecycle of a product — from manufacture through disposal and recycling.

Another active area is alternative materials and approaches that achieve desired performance with lower potential for release or persistence. This design-for-safety perspective encourages thinking about functionality and risk early in development, so that potential harms can be reduced without sacrificing benefits.

Public dialogue and practical steps for responsible use

Because nanomaterials touch many sectors, dialogue among researchers, industry, regulators, and communities matters. Practical steps for responsible development and use include better product labeling where appropriate, robust workplace controls during manufacturing, research into exposure reduction during consumer use, and long-term environmental monitoring. Integrating social and ethical reflection into technological development can help ensure that nanomaterials contribute to societal goals while respecting health and ecosystems.

For consumers, understanding where nanomaterials may be present can inform choices about product use and disposal. For professionals, continuing education about safe handling and up-to-date guidance on best practices helps reduce risk during manufacture and recycling. For policymakers, a balance between enabling innovation and protecting health and the environment guides regulatory approaches that adapt as evidence accumulates.

Measured innovation

Nanomaterials are embedded across natural systems and engineered technologies, and their presence is likely to expand in coming years as new applications emerge. The potential for improved products, medical advances, and environmental solutions is significant, yet it comes with the need for careful assessment and stewardship. Ongoing research, transparent governance, and proactive design strategies can help societies harness the advantages of nanoscale materials while addressing uncertainties.

In short, nanomaterials are found everywhere from biological systems to household items, industrial materials, healthcare technologies, and environmental projects. Their small size gives them powerful effects, and that power calls for informed use. By mapping where nanomaterials appear and how they behave, stakeholders can make choices that balance performance with safety and sustainability.