But Paul Wright, a professor in immunotoxicology at RMIT University in Australia, says rapid recent developments highlight the need for caution.
"(Nanoparticles) can have totally unknown effects on the biological system," he said.
Because of their size, nanoparticles can evade the body's normal respiratory and immune defences and once inhaled or absorbed through the skin, potentially finding their way into the nervous and circulatory systems and becoming deposited in organs including the brain.
BéruBé said until we have microscopes powerful to actually track where nanoparticles are going in the environment and in our bodies, and what they actually do there, the jury must remain out about any pending health catastrophe.
"We don't have the technology there to see exactly what these particles are doing, so we can't tell you exactly what the health impacts will be," she said.
"Unregulated use [of nanoparticles] could open society up to the asbestos of the 20th century. But we've been living with [combustion-derived nanoparticles since caveman times and we've learned to adapt to it," said BéruBé.
