Environmental risks and the potential benefits of nanopesticides: a review

With the escalating food demand of the ever-increasing global population and the rapid development of nanotechnology, nanopesticides are being proposed as alternatives for conventional pesticides. Nanocarriers or nanosized active ingredients can be used in nanopesticide formulations that exhibit enhanced stability, superior efficiency, good dispersion, and controllable release to target organisms compared to conventional pesticides. This can decrease the global volume of pesticide applied to crops. Nevertheless, the enhanced chemical stability of active ingredients implies persistence, and the good dispersion of active ingredients may induce interactions between nanopesticides and non-target organisms. Nanopesticides may thus have adverse impacts on non-target organisms, which is often not sufficiently considered by nanopesticide developers. Here, we review environmental risks and potential benefits of nanopesticides relative to conventional pesticides. Benefits of nanopesticides relative to conventional pesticides are increased stability, controlled release of active ingredients, superior efficacy, lower dose required, good dispersion and decreasing residue. We highlight possible impacts of nanopesticides on living organisms in soil and aquatic environment.