In recent years, engineered nanomaterials have gained enormous attention due to their beneficial applications in various areas of science including industrial, environmental and life sciences. Importantly, the use of nanotechnology in agriculture will result in the release of nanoparticles (NPs) into the environment and may contaminate the food chain by entering into the plant system. However, many barriers to implementation must be addressed for technology to be adopted, including safety concerns, consumer acceptance and efficient delivery at field scale. Moreover, NPs interactions with the ecosystem and their toxicity in living systems have become a serious global concern. Additional intricate knowledge is still required about the long-term toxicological fate of NPs released in the environment and their biodegradation. The objective of this review is to provide the various sources of NPs release in the environment, exposure routes and their toxicity in agro-environment subsystems along with potential health risks to human. It also explores the possible mechanism of NPs biodegradation, emerging developments, and potential pitfalls into the research on biodegradable NPs to achieve environmental safety as well as global food security and sustainability.

近年来，工程纳米材料因其在包括工业、环境和生命科学在内的各个科学领域的有益应用而获得了极大的关注。重要的是，在农业中使用纳米技术会导致纳米颗粒 (NPs) 释放到环境中，并可能通过进入植物系统来污染食物链。然而，要采用技术，必须解决许多实施障碍，包括安全问题、消费者接受度和现场规模的有效交付。此外，NPs 与生态系统的相互作用及其在生命系统中的毒性已成为一个严重的全球问题。关于在环境中释放的 NP 的长期毒理学归宿及其生物降解，仍然需要更多复杂的知识。本综述的目的是提供环境中 NPs 释放的各种来源、暴露途径及其在农业环境子系统中的毒性以及对人类的潜在健康风险。它还探讨了 NPs 生物降解的可能机制、新兴发展和可生物降解 NPs 研究的潜在陷阱，以实现环境安全以及全球粮食安全和可持续发展。