Forecasting the Environmental Fate and Ecotoxicity of Nanomaterials in Aquatic Systems

提案编号：CBET -1438165纳米颗粒（纳米颗粒或NP）在工业过程中越来越普遍。它们的毒性作用在使用前通常是未知的。俄勒冈州州立大学的研究小组建议开发小规模（“纳米宇宙”）测定来描述纳米颗粒在水生环境中的生态毒性。少数民族和妇女群体的学生将参与拟议的研究。本研究的结果将有助于了解银和氧化锌纳米粒子在水环境中的行为。由于缺乏一个共同的方法来进行环境调查的纳米粒子限制了知识在这一领域的进步，从这个建议的成功成果可以通过作为一个标准的技术由其他研究人员，政策制定者和监管机构，和化学品生产商，拟议的研究，因此，潜在的变革。拟议工作的总体目标是预测纳米材料在自然环境中的行为，并预测影响生物体和生态系统功能的潜力。该提案计划的目标是首先开发和验证一种测定方法，用于通过对藻类、细菌、小型无脊椎动物和发育中的脊椎动物进行小规模研究来确定纳米材料在水生系统中的生态毒性，以确定已知纳米材料毒物（银和氧化锌纳米颗粒）的生物影响。然后，将采用经验证的测定来阐明纳米材料的特征（例如，组成、大小和表面化学），这些特征会改变各种纳米材料的生物利用度、生物影响、群落结构和整体生态系统健康。最后，收集的数据将用于帮助构建一个预测模型，使用纳米颗粒行为和生态毒性的结构-活性关系（SAR）。结果将被建立并嵌入到现有的建模框架中，这些框架可以将结果转化为决策过程。反过来，这将有助于为设计未来的纳米宇宙提供协议。

Proposal Number: CBET - 1438165Nano-size particles (nanoparticles, or NPs) are increasingly prevalent in industrial processes. Their toxic effects are usually not known before their use. The Oregon State University research team proposes to develop small-scale ("nanocosm") assays to profile the eco-toxicities of NPs in an aquatic environment. Students from minority and woman groups will be involved in the proposed research. The results of the development and investigation will shed light on the behavior of silver and zinc oxide NPs in aquatic environments. Since the lack of a common approach to environmental investigations of NPs has limited the advancement of knowledge in this area, the successful outcomes from this proposal can be adopted as a standard technique by other researchers, policy makers and regulators, and chemical producers, and the proposed research is, therefore, potentially transformative. The overall goal of the proposed work is to predict nanomaterial behavior in natural environments and forecast potential to impact organisms and ecosystem function. The objectives of the proposal plan is to first develop and validate an assay for use in determining the ecotoxicity of nanomaterials in aquatic systems by using small-scale studies of algae, bacteria, small invertebrates, and developing vertebrates in order to determine the biological impacts of known nanomaterial toxicants (Ag and ZnO nanoparticles). The validated assay will then be employed to elucidate nanomaterial features (e,g, composition, size, and surface chemistry) that alter bioavailability, biological impacts, community structure and overall ecosystem health across diverse nanomaterials. Finally, the data gathered will be used to help construct a predictive model using the structure-activity relationships (SAR) of nanoparticle behavior and ecotoxicity. The results will be established and embedded into existing modeling frameworks that can translate the findings to decision making processes. This, in turn, will help provide protocols for designing future nanocosms.