Introduction In recent years, nano-based pesticides formulation are developing with the aim to obtain a product that can release the active ingredients only in contact with the target, prolong the effective duration and reduce the dispersion of chemicals in the environment. Big efforts are spend to develop products that can enter in the market, but concern is rising about safety measures to adopt during usage. United States Environmental Protection Agency and European Commission are enacted rules on the management and usage of nano pesticides. Nano formulations can be more active on pests because of the enhancement of penetration, but for the same reason they can penetrate easily into human body mainly through skin route.

Methods a web base survey on pesticides in nano-form tested was done, reviewing scientific literature, technical data and patents on new pesticides formulations with the aim to find information about safety profile comparison between traditional and nano-form.

Results literature is focusing mainly on advantages of nano pesticides in term of reduction of active ingredient to be used in association with less use of chemical agents to disperse it. Very few are data on comparative toxicity on cells line between nano and traditional formulations, showing mainly a lower toxicity for the first one. No animal or human data are available in literature in our best knowledge that compares toxicity between nano and traditional formulation.

Due to high surface/mass ratio nano formulations can be more active on the target but for the same reason can enter quickly into human body via skin contact and inhalation route.

Discussions nano pesticides can offer many advantages from the theoretical point of view but their use need to be evaluated considering the higher permeation into human body that they can have, mainly through the skin route.