Toxicity of engineered nanoparticles in the environment

Anal Chem. 2013 Mar 19;85(6):3036-49. doi: 10.1021/ac303636s. Epub 2013 Mar 7.

Abstract

While nanoparticles occur naturally in the environment and have been intentionally used for centuries, the production and use of engineered nanoparticles has seen a recent spike, which makes environmental release almost certain. Therefore, recent efforts to characterize the toxicity of engineered nanoparticles have focused on the environmental implications, including exploration of toxicity to organisms from wide-ranging parts of the ecosystem food webs. Herein, we summarize the current understanding of toxicity of engineered nanoparticles to representatives of various trophic levels, including bacteria, plants, and multicellular aquatic/terrestrial organisms, to highlight important challenges within the field of econanotoxicity, challenges that analytical chemists are expertly poised to address.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods
  • Environmental Pollution / adverse effects*
  • Environmental Pollution / prevention & control
  • Humans
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry
  • Nanoparticles / toxicity*
  • Nanotechnology / methods
  • Nanotechnology / trends*