STS REVIEWER CHAPTER 9-10 • This term was coined by Walter Rosen in

1985.
Chapter 9
• Biodiversity encompasses the variety of all life
BIODIVERSITY AND THE HEALTHY SOCIETY on earth.
AMAZON RAINFOREST • It is the outcome of over 3 billion years of
•The world’s largest rainforest. evolutionary history.

•It covers portion of Brazil’s, Colombia’s, Peru’s, • It is continuously shaped by natural processes
and other South American Countries’ and greatly influenced by human activities.
territories. • Biodiversity plays a major role in the dynamics
•It houses at least 10% of the world’s known of the relationship between biotics and the
biodiversity. abiotics; thus plays a major role in the
ecosystem.
CORAL TRIANGLE
• Biodiversity forms the web of life on which we
• A roughly triangle area of tropical marine greatly depend.
waters that houses reefbuilding corals.
• Biodiversity encompasses all kinds of life
• Global center of marine biodiversity. forms, from single-celled to the largest multi-
celled organisms.
• Marine region that spans the part of the
marine waters of the Philippines, Indonesia, • It includes the variety of organisms in an
Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon ecosystem.
Islands, and Timor-Leste, with at least 798 reef-
building corals. • Variety is commonly measured by
counting all species in an area. This is
• 76% of the world’s coral species are found in called species richness.
the Coral Triangle, the highest coral diversity in
the world. • Species count is not the sole measure
of biodiversity and is weighed
• The Coral Triangle also has the most coral reef differently for each species.
fish diversity than anywhere in the world.
• Another way of weighing species
• 8% of these fishes are endemic or locally biodiversity is to recognize unique
restricted species. biodiversity in environments that
contain few species but unusual ones.
Biodiversity Defined
• Biodiversity plays a major role in the
• Biodiversity is a portmanteau of biological and
dynamics of the relationship between biotics
diversity
and abiotics.
• biological or bio means life, and
diversity means variety.
• Organisms are abundant in habitats that • The eggs of golden snails are considered pests
contain the food and other requirements they for rice plant.
need in order to live.
• Thus, a high number of golden snails help in
• They have different metabolic characteristics, the prediction of a low turnout in rice harvest.
growth, and reproduction patterns; and that
Other important terms:
biodiversity is essential to human survival.

• Different ecosystems respond differently to • Biotic – all living organisms within an

ecosystem
changes in biodiversity.

• However, understanding biodiversity within • Abiotic – all of the non-living things in an

ecosystem
the concept of ecosystems is important in order
to predict the sustainability of life in a certain • Ecosystem – encompasses the biotic and
area. abiotic component in an environment, as well
• Ecosystems respond differently in changes to as their relationships and interactions.
biodiversity; some lose their functions while • Relative abundance – refers to the relative
others are highly resilient. proportions of different species in an
ecosystem.
• Understanding biodiversity within the concept
of ecosystems is important in order to predict • Trophic Structure – basically answers the
the sustainability of life in a certain area. question of who eats who?
• One way of predicting the sustainability of an • Fauna – refers to all the animal life within a
area within the concept of biodiversity is specified region, time period, or both.
through indicator species.
• Flora – refers to the groups of indigenous
Crown-of-Thorns Starfish plants in an ecosystem of a geographical region.
• Has a potential to alter coral ecosystems • Ecology – study of organisms in their house or
significantly. the place they live in. Derived from the Greek
• Important indicator species when it comes to word oikos which means “house”.
the assessment of coral reefs because it is a DIFFERENT TYPES OF BIODIVERSITY
significant coral predator.
Types of Biodiversity:
• An outbreak of COTS negatively affects the
health of a coral reef ecosystem. 1. Genetic diversity

Golden Snails 2. Species diversity

• The number of golden snails in a rice field is a 3. Community or ecosystem diversity

useful determinant of the production in rice
4. Functional diversity
harvest.
• Variety in biodiversity identifies how much have the same undesirable traits, such as those
resources and species an ecosystem has, not that make them vulnerable to diseases and
just in terms of raw species count, but also as change in environment
an indicator of genetic and resource diversity.
2. Species Diversity
• A more diverse ecosystem will, therefore,
• Refers to the variability of different species
have more resources to meet and overcome
events such as drought, famine, and extinction represented in a community.
of some species. • In each ecosystem, there are different species
• There are several components of biodiversity, that interact with one another. This level of
biodiversity involves species richness, or the
each indicating the genetic, species, and
resource diversity in a region. number of species in a given region, and their
abundance relative in that area
• The types of biodiversity are: genetic
diversity, species diversity, community or • Some ecosystems may have many more
species than another. In some ecosystems, one
ecosystem diversity, and functional diversity
species has grown so large that it dominates the
1. Genetic Diversity natural community. A large number of species
can help an ecosystem recover from ecological
• Refers to the variation in the genes of a threats, even if same species go extinct.
species of individuals as well as how they are
closely related to the members of a species in • The number of species in a region varies
an environment. widely depending upon the varied
environmental conditions. For example, it is
• It describes how closely related the member usually observed that civilizations residing
of one species are in a given ecosystem. No two beside water bodies show more species
individuals belonging to the same species are diversity than one compared to areas away
exactly similar. from water bodies.
• Genes are part of the DNA which dictate traits 3. Community Diversity
or characteristics of an organism.
• Refers to the variety of ecosystems in a given
• This seemingly small variation in the region
traits has great influence on the
adaptive potential of the species. • A region may either have several ecosystems
or just one. A region with several ecosystems
• It enables a species to adapt to may be able to provide more resources to help
changing environments (and may even native species survive, especially when one
lead to microevolution) and increases ecosystem is threatened by drought or disease.
the possibility of preservation and
perpetuation of a new population. • An ecosystem houses a population of a wide
range of species that interacts with one another
• Species with low genetic diversity may pose a thereby creating a biological community.
threat to organisms in the same species if they
• The interaction and survival of this community 9.3 Importance of Biodiversity
is greatly affected by abiotic factors such as
temperature, air, pH levels, water, and light. ➢ Supports food security, dietary health and
livelihood sustainability
• For example, a mountain area that has lakes,
forests, and grasslands would have higher • Biodiversity is the source of our food.
biodiversity • The food that human beings and
4. Functional Diversity wildlife consume originate from natural
ecosystems.
• Refers to the range of things an organism
does in communities and ecosystems. • Wide range of animals and plants
species form a basis of our nutrition,
• It relates to the manner by which species which in turn can promote our health,
behave, obtain food and use the natural protect us against diseases due to lack
resources in an ecosystem. of vitamin deficiencies.

• In general, it is presumed that an ecosystem • Loss of agricultural biodiversity can

with high species diversity is more functionally therefore threaten health, livelihood
diverse because there are more species with sustainability and security of food and
different traits. nutrition

• Understanding an ecosystem’s functional ➢ Provides important resources for medical

diversity can be useful to ecologists trying to research (traditional and modern medicine)
conserve or restore it from the damages it
• Wide range of animals and plants
suffered because knowing the behaviors and
roles of species can point to gaps in a food cycle species form a basis of our nutrition,
which in turn can promote our health,
or ecological niches.
protect us against diseases due to lack
IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY of vitamin deficiencies.

• At the most fundamental level, biodiversity is • Loss of agricultural biodiversity can

important to human beings because it is the therefore threaten health, livelihood
source of our food, shelter, medicine, and sustainability and security of food and
clothes. nutrition.

• It is where we derive raw materials for various • The Department of Health of the
activities that sustain us, such as in commercial Philippines has endorsed 10 medicinal
and industrial activities. plants to be used as herbal medicines.

• Biodiversity is of central importance to and LAGUNDI (Vitex negundo)

largely determines health, culture, food
security, and environmental conditions. • For the relief of cough and asthma

• It is the life support system of all living beings.

SAMBONG (Blumea balsamifera) BAYABAS (Psidium guajava)

• A diuretic that helps in the excretion • Used as an antiseptic to disinfect

of urine stones. wounds

• Can be used as an edema. • Can be used as mouthwash to treat

tooth decay and gum infection
ACAPULCO (Cassia alata)

• Used to treat ringworms and fungal

infections ➢ Plays a role in the regulation and control of
infectious diseases
NIYUG-NIYOGAN (Quisqualis indica L.)
• Biodiversity loss and ecosystem
• For effective elimination of intestinal change can increase the spread of
worm, particularly the Ascaris and infectious diseases in plants, animals,
Trichina and the human beings such as SARS,
TSAANG GUBAT (Ehretia microphylla ebola, etc.
Lam.) • Even with advances in synthetic
• For treating intestinal motility chemistry, which provides many
biologically active molecules,
• Can be used as mouthwash since it pharmaceuticals derived from nature
contains fluoride remain an important part of
pharmaceutical practice today.
AMPALAYA (Momordica charantia)
• All organisms have developed
• For treatment of diabetes mellitus for
compounds to protect themselves
non insulin dependent patient
against infectious diseases and to
YERBA BUENA (Clinopodium douglasii) interact with individuals of their own
species or other species.
• Used as analgesic
• These molecules, coming from all
• For relieving body aches and pain organisms (bacteria, fungus, animals,
plants) in terrestrial, marine and
BAWANG (Allium sativum)
extreme ecosystems, represent an
• Reduces cholesterol in blood, hence amazing diversity that has been tested
controls blood pressure in the field for millions of years by
involving millions of individuals.
ULISIMANG BATO (Peperomia
pellucida) • However, only a very small subset of
plants and marine organisms has been
• Effective in fighting arthritis and gout investigated for novel bioactive
compounds.
• Furthermore, it is estimated that less • At the same time, climate change
that 1% of bacterial species and only 5% affects biodiversity in multiple ways
of fungal species are known. Those through complex interactions among
which have not yet been identified and between species and their habitats.
could be sources of novel molecules.
• Therefore, it is impossible to address
• Observations of natural medicine biodiversity loss without addressing
practices used by indigenous people climate change, but it is equally
have led to the discovery of many impossible to tackle climate change
drugs. without addressing biodiversity loss.

• The most well known and widely used • Sustainable management of

pharmaceuticals are quinine, used as a biodiversity can help to provide
model to synthesize anti-malarial drugs essential resources for promoting
(chloroquine and mefloquine), and health and rebuilding livelihoods in
artemisinin, identified as a potent anti- post-crisis situation.
malarial drug by Chinese scientists.
➢ Has social, cultural and spiritual importance
• Animals are also a source of with communities
inspiration for drugs against infectious
• Sustainable management of
diseases.
biodiversity can help to provide
• For instance, compounds of the essential resources for promoting
sponge Cryptotethya crypta inspired health and rebuilding livelihoods in
the elaboration of antiviral medication post-crisis situation.
such as AZT used in the treatment of
HIV/AIDS. • The rural communities and the poor
are dependent upon ecosystem for
• Observing great apes medicate their livelihood security.
themselves through the plants they eat
• There must be healthy ecosystems to
also could help to reveal new active
compounds. provide material buffers against natural
disasters such as flood drought, and
• To better illustrate the importance of landslides.
biodiversity, I am showing you this
• People who have been displaced by
video on Covid-19 and Biodiversity.
disasters are more susceptible to illness
➢ Essential for climate change adaptation and dependent on ecosystem services
for food, shelter and medicine.
• Biodiversity plays an important role in
regulating the climate, thus making a 9.4 Threats to Biodiversity:
key contribution to climate change
mitigation and adaptation. 9.4.1 Habitat Destruction
❖ Habitat destruction or habitat loss is 9.4.4 Invasive Alien Species
one of the biggest threats to
biodiversity. In fact, it is the number ❖ Introduction of invasive alien species
accidentally or deliberately, that is not
one reason species go extinct.
endemic in that habitat or not in the
❖ Anthropogenic activities like normal distributional range could
urbanization, construction, logging, threaten other organisms especially if
reclamation, industrialization, and the species introduced have the same
activities that result to unnatural ecological niche as those naturally
increase in the concentration of existing in that ecosystem.
environmental compounds destroy
habitats – consequently causing the loss ❖ Alien or introduced species include
any species that are introduced into
of biodiversity.
new habitats by human intervention.
9.4.2 Over-Exploitation These are usually invasive or aggressive.

❖ It means harvesting species from the wild at 9.4.5 Global Climate Change
rates faster than natural populations can
❖ Climate change, specifically global
recover.
warming, is causing huge changes to
❖ Overfishing and overhunting are both types biodiversity. The increase in global
of overexploitation. temperature could be detrimental to
some species.
• Overhunting – defined as the
relentless chase of wild animals for the ❖ Climate change and variability cause
purpose killing or catching them for biodiversity loss and may even result to
food or game. the extinction of species and population
if they are not provided with enough
• Overfishing – removal of species of time to adapt to the changing climactic
fish from a body of water, at a rate that conditions
species cannot be replenished in time,
resulting either becoming depleted or
underpopulated in that given area.
INTERRELATEDNESS OF SOCIETY,
9.4.3 Overpopulation ENVIRONMENT, AND HEALTH

❖ As human population increases, the demand

for human needs and wants also increases.

❖ Human overpopulation poses a threat to

biodiversity if it is coupled with unsustainable
pattern of consumption and poor government
policies as regard food security and
conservation.
➢ Nutrition, biodiversity, and health are all • Implementation of fair, reasonable,
interrelated and intersectional. A healthy and human rightsbased laws and
environment means a robust and wellpreserved policies
biodiversity.
• Appropriate research with adequate
➢ An ecosystem with healthy and diverse government support
species consequently results to a healthy diet of
the population, with the need for adequate • Education and awareness raising
levels of nutrient intake having been met. • Sustainable use of biodiversity,
➢ Food production is just one of the important especially by big corporations and
military-industrial complexes
services the ecosystem provides.

➢ The needs of living organisms such as air, 9.6 Biodiversity in the Philippines
water, food, and habitat are provided by their ➢ The country is a biodiversity hotspot
environment. and hosts more than 52,177 described
species.
➢ Destruction of ecosystems and
environmental hazards increases the risks of ➢ According to the DENR-Biodiversity
diseases like cancer, heart disease, respiratory Management Bureau, the Philippines
ailments, and many others. contains two-thirds of the Earth’s
biodiversity and 70 percent of the
➢ With the significant biodiversity loss we are
now experiencing, human health, biological world’s plants and animal species due
to its geographical isolation, diverse
biodiversity, and the environment is greatly
compromised. habitats, and high rates of endemism.

➢ As of 2019, there is a total of 1, 437

➢ Climate change poses a serious threat to
human health and subsistence. terrestrial mammals, birds, reptiles, and
amphibians that are listed as
➢ In environmental legislations (creation of threatened.
law) and formulations of policies, social justice
➢ 984 species of wild flora in the
and human rights issues comes into play as
well. Philippines are also threatened for
possible extinction.
➢ Legislators (law-makers) and policymakers
shall always give the utmost importance to the ➢ Some Philippine Endangered Species
rights and condition of the most vulnerable. • Philippiine Forest turtle
➢ Biodiversity loss can be prevented through: (Siebenrockiella leytensis)

• Cebu Brown Dove

• Proper legislation
(Phapitreron frontalis)

• Negros Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus

arcanus)
• Philippine Eagle - Affected vegetables and ornamentals.
(Pithecophaga jefferyi) Accidentally introduced with the importation of
ornamental kalanchoe in the 1970s
• Gigante Wrinkled Ground
Frog (Platymantis insulatus) American cockroach (Periplaneta americana)

• Cebu Flowerpecker (Dicaeum - Ubiquitous house pest

quadricolor)
Big headed ant (Pheidole megacephalus)
• Philippine freshwater
- Displaced most invertebrate faunas; pest to
crocodile (Crocodylus
mindorensis) agriculture as it harbours phytophagous insects
that reduce crop productivity
• Visayan warty pig (Sus
cebifrons) Jumping plant lice (Heterophylla cubana)

- Introduced by the typhoon in 1980. Has

• Tamaraw (Bubalus
mindorensis) affected almost all standing L. leucocephala
plantations
• Golden-Capped Fruit Bat
(Acerodon jubatus) Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

- Labeled as the “ecosystem engineer” or

• Philippine Spotted Deer
(Cervus alfredi) “invasive habitat modifier” Caused clogging
waterways, impeding boat transport, and
• Luzon Peacock Swallowtail reduction in fisheries productivity
(Papilio chikae)
Golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata)
➢ Some alien species in the Philippines with
their effects - Originally introduced to increase the protein
source of Filipino diet, but became a major pest
INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES in the farm rice

Forest mangrove (Acacia mangium) Gold fish (Carassius auratus)

- Host of unidentified termite species - Can out compete native species of fish. Stir up
mud when they feed, which increases the
Fire ant (Solenopsis geminate) cloudiness of the water and affects the growth
- Invaded native communities and Affected of aquatic plants
many or all of the animals and plants in the
community; has fiery and painful stings; nests in
the soil

Spiraling whitefly (Aleurodicus dispeures)

2002 Phil GMO Rules (Administrative Order
No.8)
First approved product for
CHAPTER 10 commercialization an Philipines

Modern Biotechnology 2006 National Biosafety Framework in

Philippines (Executive Order. 514)
10.1 Genetic Engineeting
2008 Adoption of Codex in the Phil
- Genetic engineering is one of the many tools (Administrative Order No.31)
of biotechnology to produce novel or improved
organisms through direct gene modification. 2010 Synthetic genome transplanted by Craig
Venter
1953 DNA structure determined
2011 1st synthetic tissue engineered windpipe
1941 first time used of genetic engineering transplanted at Sweden

1968 restriction enzymes discovered 2012 Creation of synthetic DNA

1971 Gene-splicing experiment by berg( father 2016 Phil as top grower of GM crops in SE Asia;
of genetic engineering 12 biggest producer globally

1974 world 1st transgenic animal (mouse) 2017 First genetically edited human embryos in
the united kingdom
1973 1st succesful recombinant DNA experiment
performed by Cohen and Boyer 2019 World’s 1st CRISPR/Cas9-based approach
in a mammal
1981 World 1st recombinant DNA drug approved
by FDA 10.1.2. Genetically Modified Organisms

1986 NIH approved gene theraphy experiment Resistance to Environmental Stress

guidelines
- Flood tolerant rice
1990 1st FDA approve gene theraphy treatment
for SCID - Drough resistance corn
National Biosafety of the Philippines Disease Resistance
st
1994 1 genetically engineered crop to be - Resistance to disease such as the ringspot
commercialized virus developed for Rainbow papaya
2000 Phil signed the Cartagena protocol on Consumer or Producer Enhanced
Biosafety
Golden rice was genetically engineered - Resistance to herbicides such as glyphosate
developed for corn, cotton, canola, soybeans,
2001 Policy Statement on Modern sugar beets and alfalfa
Biotechnology in the Philippines
- Health risk associated with transgenics and
genetically modified foods i.e allergentricaly,
Insect Resistance (Bt) antibiotic resistance and toxicity
- Resistance to insects such as the European - Long-term effects on the environment when
cord borer developed for Bt corn, Bt cotton and transgenic or genetically modified organisms
Bt brinjal (Southeast Asian Eggplant) are released in the field
- Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis INTRINSIC
10.1.3. GMO IN THE PHILIPPINES - Fundamental issues arising from the creation
Genetically Modified Crops Approved in the of new species
Philippines - Perception of species boundaries as either
For direct use or processing ‘fixed’ or a ‘continuum’

- Corn TC1507 Feb 12 2019 - Degree of pain/suffering of ‘traditional’

organisms vs chimeras and transgenic
- Soybean Das44406-6 Feb 12 2019
- Possibility of creating physical or behavioral
-Oilseed rape MS8 Nov 21 2018 traits in humans due to transgenic interventions
that may or may not be readily distinguished
-Oilseed rape RF3 Nov 21 2018
from what is usually preceived to be ‘human
-Cotton GHB 119 Nov 19 2018
- Identification of genetic engineering research
- Cotton T304-40 Nov 19 2018 that should be considered morally
impremissible and banned i.e. used for
For propagation offensive military purposes

- Corn MIR162 Oct 31 2018 - Redefinition of the term ‘normal’ in light of the
transgenic interventions undertaken.
- Corn MON810 Feb 23 2018
10.2.1 Gene and Cell Therapy
10.1.4 Ethical Issues on PPT
Gene therapy is the modification of an
EXTRINSIC
organism’s gene
- Accessibility of these technologies
Cell therapy, unlike gene therapy, transfers live
- Allocation of scarce resources and intact cells to the patient. The cells may
come from a donor (allogeneic cells) or from
- Right and special protections for chimeric the patient, himself (autologous cells)(American
entities possessing certain degrees of Society of Gene & Cell Therapy, n.d.).
intellegence or sentience never before seen in
nonhuman animals 10.2.2. Gene Therapy

Gene Addition
- Insertion of new copy of a gene Embroyonic stem Cells (Escs)

- Hemophilia, Leber’s congenital amaurosis, - From Embryo

lysosomal storage diseases, X-linked chronic
Nuclear Transfer Embroyonic Stem
granulomatous disease
Cells (ntESCs)
Gene Correction
- From nucleus (from patient adult cells)
- Removal of repeated or faulty parts is transferred to an egg cell (from
donor)
- Replacement of damaged or dysfunctional
region Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)

- Huntington’s disease - From differentiated adult (somatic)

cell example skin cell
Gene Silencing
Parthenogenetic Embryonic Stem Cells
- Degradation of mRNA (pES)
- Rheumatoid arthritis - From unfertilized oocytes
Reprogramming Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs)
- Addition of one more genes to a specific type - From adult bone marrow, peripheral
of cell blood, umbilical cord blood
- Type I diabetes Masenchymal Stem Cells
Cell Elimination - From umbilical cord blood, bone
- “suicide genes” in tumor cells marrow, fat tissue

- Cancer Neural Stem Cells (NSCs)

10.2.3. Stem Cells - From induced pluripotent stem cells,

embryonic stem cells
Stem cells are at the forefront of both gene
therapy and cell therapy. Its ability to self- Epithelial Stem Cells
renew and to mature into specialized cells of - From epidermis, linings of gastro-
each tissue provide the patient with a intestinal tract
therapeutic technique that potentially lasts for
a lifetime. 10.2.4. Cell Therapyeric Antigen Receptor
(CAR) T Cell Therapy
Pluripotent Stem Cells
1. Collection : Isolate T cells (subtype of white
- Has the ability to differentiate into almost all blood cell) from a patient’s blood sample
cell types through leukapheresis
2. Engineering : Create chimeric antigen CHAPTER 11
receptors on the surface of T cells that react to
cancer cells The Nano World

11.1 Background of Nanotechnology

3. Multiplication : Grow millions of CAR T cells
in the labority ➢ Nanoscale
4. Conditioning Therepy : Give lymphodepleting ➢ Nanos (Greek word) ‘Dwarf’
chemotherapy
➢ 10-9 meter
5. Infusion : Infuse CAR T cells back into the
patient’s blood intravenously ➢ Nanoscience is the study of phenomena and
manipulation of material at the nanoscale.
10.2.5. Ethical Issues
➢ Nanotechnology more specific branch that
FOUR BASIC PRINCIPLES caters to nanoparticles
Autonomy – Will it respect a competent - Nanotechnology encompasses science,
indivual’s right to choose? engineering, and technology at the
nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100
Beneficence – Will it promote well-being?
nanometers.
Justice – Will it be equitable and fair?
➢ Richard Feynman
Non-Malefience – Will it do no intentional or
unintentional harm ➢ Norio Taniguchi

➢ National Nonotechnology Initiative

11.2 Microscopy Tools in Nanotechnology

11.2.1 Electron Microscope

❖ Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)

❖ Scanning Electron Microscopy

❖ Ernst Ruska

❖ Max Knolls

11.2.2 Scanning Tunneling Microscope

❖ Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer

11.2.3 Atomic Force Microscope

❖ Gerd Binnig and Calvin Quate

11.3 Carbon Nanomaterials ➢ High-energy requirements for
synthesizing nanoparticles causing high-
✓ Carbon is a nonmetallic, solid element that energy demand
occurs ia all organic life and the basis of organic
chemistry. 11.4.1 Environmental Concerns

11.3.1 Fullerenes C60 fullerenes used in cosmetics, potential use

in medicines, batteries and electronics
➢ Harold Kroto, Sean O’Brien, Robert Curl and
Richard Smalley - Caused behavioral & physiological changes in
water fleas that are associated with increased
➢ Buckyballs are round risk of predation & reproductive decline (Lovern
➢ Buckminster Fuller et al., 2007)

11.3.2 Carbon nanotubes - Caused oxidative damage in largemouth bass

by acting through the same mechanism of
➢ Have cylindrical shape that has not folded action found to be beneficial for their use in
around to create a sphere. drug delivery; can travel to the brain, bind with
lipids, and cause the production of oxidative
➢ Carbon atoms are linked in hexagonal
stress compounds when fish are exposed to
shapes.
concentrations of only 1 ppm. (Oberdorster,
➢ Sumio Iijima 2004)

11.3.3 Graphene Nanoparticle zinc oxide used in electronics, gas

sensors, sunscreens, cosmetics, food packaging,
➢ Flat one-atom thick sheet or a single paint
monolayer of carbon atoms, tightly bound in a
hexagonal lattice. -Toxic to algae and water fleas (Luo, 2007)

➢ Sir Andre Geim Aluminum nanoparticle used in cosmetics,

sunscreens, scratch resistant coatings
11.4 Issues and Concern in Nanotechnology
- High levels of exposure caused growth delay in
✓ Environmental Effects corn, cucumber, soybean, carrot and cabbage
crops (Yang and Watts, 2005)
➢ Lower recovery and recycling rates
Silver nanoparticle used as antimicrobial
➢ Lack of trained engineers and
coatings, sensors, optical probes and catalysts
workers causing further concerns
- Severe deformities of exposed fish embryo
➢ Environmental implications of other
and larvae (used as the sensitive model for
life cycle stages not clear
developmental toxicity evaluation in
➢ Dissemination of toxic, persistent environmental toxicology studies) showed
nanosubstances originating cardiac abnormalities, yolk sac edema, and
environmental harm eye/head abnormalities (Liu, 2016)
Titanium dioxide nano form used in sunscreens, - Toxic when ingested and found to cause
selfcleaning glass, remediation, widely use in lesions in the liver, pancreas, heart and stomach
small micro form in foods and cosmetics (Wang et al., 2006)

- Can cause the death of a considerable Nanohydroxyapatite used as stabilizer in foods

percentage of water fleas (Daphnea magna)
-Found to be potentially toxic, could be
which are used by regulators as an ecological
indicator species (Lovern and Klaper, 2006) absorbed and enter cells; cited as an inhalation
hazard in MSDS (Merz NA, Inc., 2015)
- UV-illuminated TiO2 proven to be toxic to
algae and water fleas (Hund-Rinke and Simon, Carbon-based nanomaterials
2006) - Can be harmful as asbestos if inhaled in
11.4.2 Health Concerns sufficient quantities, can cause of mesothelioma
(Maynard et al., 2006)
Silver nanoparticles used as additive in baby
bottles, food containers, packaging, cutting - Can cross the blood-brain barrier and alter cell
functions (Jirasak et al., 2008)
boards, salad bowls, cutlery, ice trays, filtration
devices and collapsible coolers; in agriculture, 11.4.3 Ethical and Social Concerns
used in poultry production and agricultural and
aquacultural disinfectants ➢ Nanotechnology is not a single technology; it
may become pervasive.
- Can enter the bloodstream and reach all
organs of the body, including the brain, heart, ➢ Nanotechnology may introduce new
liver, kidney, spleen, bone marrow (Friends of efficiencies and paradigms, which may make
the Earth, 2011) some natural resources and current practices
uncompetitive or obsolete.
- Placental transfer and fetal uptake cause zebra
fish embryos (used as a model organism for the ➢ Nanotechnology may be very difficult to
study of embryological development in detect its presence unless one has the specialist
humans) to develop with head abnormalities tools of nanotechnology
and no eyes (Cheng et al., 2007)
11.5 Nanotechnology in the Philippines
- Increase the problem of antibiotic resistant
➢ Dr Fabian Dayrit
superbugs (Friends of the Earth, 2011)
➢ Application
Titanium dioxide used as whitener and
brightener (1) nanostructured solar energy devices,
- Can damage DNA, disrupt the function of cells, (2) nanosensor technology to food, agriculture,
interfere with the defense activities of immune and environment,
cells and, provoke inflammation (Trouiller et al.,
2009) (3) environmental remediation and water, and

Zinc oxide used as surface coatings

(4) nanocomposite materials using local
minerals and biological resources (Dayrit, 2010).

11.5.1 Nanostructured Solar Devices

❖ Nanotechnology Road Map of DOST in 2008

(Dayrit, 2010)

• nanosensor technology to food,

agriculture and the environment

• environmental remediation and water

• nanocomposite materials using local

minerals and biological resources

11.5.2 Nanocomposite Materials

❖ biodegradable, environment friendly

food packaging material

❖ Protects food and extends shelf-life

❖ organoclay (nanoclay) from local

bentonite with thermoplastic starch
made from cornstarch

❖ Dr. Blessie A. Basilia

11.5.3 Nanoparticle TiO2 in Commercial Paint

❖ Boysen KNOxOUTTM

11.5.4 Nanotechnology Against COVID-19

❖ Lipitoids, which self-assemble with

DNA and RNA, can serve as cellular
delivery systems for antiviral therapies
that could prevent COVID-19 and other
coronavirus infections. (IMAGE taken
from STATNANO36)

❖ A new mice study looked at how

nanotechnology might help humans
fight off the severe "cytokine storm"
that occurs in severe cases of COVID19
(HealthDay, 2020)