Risks, Release and Concentrations of Engineered Nanomaterial in the Environment

Abstract

For frequently used engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) CeO 2 -, SiO 2 -, and Ag, past, current, and future use and environmental release are investigated. Considering an extended period (1950 to 2050), we assess ENMs released through commercial activity as well as found in natural and technical settings. Temporal dynamics, including shifts in release due to ENM product application, stock (delayed use), and subsequent end-of-life product treatment were taken into account. We distinguish predicted concentrations originating in ENM use phase and those originating from end-of-life release. Owing to unique qualities and manifold variation possibilities of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), numerous products and processes involving ENMs have been developed during the past decades 1-4 . Medium-term forecasts predict a constant growth of ENM production 5 . Without much doubt, the volume and variety of ENMs released into the environment during manufacture, transport, use, and disposal will increase accordingly 6 . This trend demands a comprehensive analysis of present and future toxin exposure in order to prepare for potential preventive measures 1 . Recent indications on the toxicity of already established ENMs reveal that widespread use of a substance should not be mistaken for evidence that the substance does no harm 7 . As producers engage in abrasion, burning, cleaning, or degradation of matrices containing ENMs, all environmental compartments are likely to be exposed to ENMs. To date, the investigation of toxicological and, in particular, ecotoxicological effects of ENMs has lagged behind the study of their technical qualities and the development of new applications 8 . Synthetic amorphous silicas (SiO 2 -ENMs) have been used since the middle of the last century and are produced in large amounts 9 . In recent years, leading producers of SiO 2 -ENMs have increased their production capacities, in particular for mass applications such as tires 10,11 . Nanosilver (Ag-ENM) has been used for medical purposes since the beginning of the last century 12 . Similar to SiO 2 -ENMs, Ag-ENM is quite versatile in its applications. It has antimicrobial properties and is a component of many consumer products 13 . Unlike SiO 2 -ENMs, however, Ag-ENM has been studied broadly 14,15 . Turning to CeO 2 -ENM, a large percentage is used for chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP), and CeO 2 -ENM has also been used in automotive catalytic

Contribution of mesocosm testing to a single-step and exposure-driven environmental risk assessment of engineered nanomaterials

“…In (Gondikas et al, 2018;Gondikas et al, 2014) (state-of-the-art equipment, expert handling, …) that is unfit for general or standardized use. As a consequence, the current knowledge regarding potential consumer and environmental exposure relies heavily on modeling efforts that entail considerable uncertainty stemming from assumptions on production volumes, product use, human behavior, transformation processes, release rates, and myriad other processes that may determine exposure concentrations (Giese et al, 2018;Gottschalk et al, 2015;Sun et al, 2016).…”

Systematic Consideration of Parameter Uncertainty and Variability in Probabilistic Species Sensitivity Distributions

“…It therefore reflects much better the variability of responses that may occur in the environment. This PSSD approach has been applied to several compounds such as nanomaterials (Coll et al 2016;Wang et al 2016;Giese et al 2018;Wang and Nowack 2018;Wigger and Nowack 2019).…”

Application of dissolvable Mg/Al layered double hydroxides as an adsorbent for the dispersive solid phase extraction of gold nanoparticles prior to their determination by atomic absorption spectrometry

“…The linear range obtained with ETAAS covers the concentration ranges that are predicted for nanomaterials in environmental samples based on probabilistic or material ow algorithms. 4,41 The detection limit, dened as three times the signal to noise ratio, was 19 fmol L À1 , corresponding to 4.6 ng L À1 gold ions (calculated on the basis of spherical AuNPs of an average diameter of 20 nm), which is better than or comparable to the LODs reported in previous studies. [11][12][13][14][17][18][19][20]31,42 The LOD can conceivably be improved by increasing the ratio of the sample to extractant volume (i.e.…”

“…1,2 It is therefore reasonable that great concern has been raised regarding their potential release into the environment and their effects on ecosystems and living organisms. 3,4 For this reason several regulation authorities have classied nanoparticles as emerging environmental pollutants and try to formulate a basis for potential preservation measures. 5,6 The rst step is assessing the fate, transportation and potential risks of nanoparticles in the environment and their determination in various environmental compartments such as wastewater and natural waters.…”