Uptake and localisation (by Transmission Electron Microscopy), cell proliferation (Relative growth activity) and cytotoxic effects (Plating efficiency), inflammatory response (induction of IL-8 and MCP-1 by Enzyme linked immune sorbent assay), DNA damage (strand breaks and oxidised DNA lesions by the Comet assay) were all assessed in human lung carcinoma epithelial cells (A549), and the mutagenic potential of ENMs (Mammalian hprt gene mutation test) was assessed in V79-4 cells as per the OECD protocol. Here, CXCL8 is linked to lung carcinoma.