With the widespread use of silica nanoparticles(SiNPs)in agriculture,biomedicine and building materials,the risk of its population exposure are increasing.Many studies have shown that SiNPs could cause lung damage and are poten-tially toxic to other organs.However,the mechanisms of its toxicity has not been fully elucidated.The present review summa-rizes the characteristics of SiNPs and its environmental exposure and illustrates the toxicity mechanism of lung injury caused by respiratory exposure of SiNPs.