Tools to measure and model the transport, transformations and toxicity of engineered nanoparticles in terrestrial ecosystems

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Nanomaterials are used in the fabrication of paints, coatings, cosmetics, and many other consumer goods. Many other applications of nanomaterials are expected in the near future, for medical treatment and detection systems, energy production and environmental remediation. It is anticipated that by 2015, the global market for "nano" products will exceed US$1 trillion. Although nanotechnologies promise many social and economic benefits, recent reports published in North America and Europe underline the potential environmental and public health risks linked to this "nano" revolution. A portion of manufactured nanomaterials will end up in the natural environment (e.g., as a result of accidental spills or deliberately introduced for soil and groundwater remediation). As there are no specific regulations to deal with these novel substances, there is an urgent need to better understand the consequences of nanotechnology on environmental health, in order to set protective rules and regulations that do not unjustly penalize Canadian industries. In the interest of fully assessing environmental risk, we need to be able to predict the transport, persistence and bioavailability of engineered nanoparticles in terrestrial ecosystems. This strategic project aims to provide regulators and industries with novel insights and tools needed to assess and predict the transport and transformations of engineered nanoparticles in soils, and to evaluate their toxicity. We propose to evaluate these processes in well-parameterized systems and describe the key mechanisms with mathematical models. The novel data and mechanistic models will greatly improve our understanding of the environmental risks of engineered nanoparticles. We will examine both model conditions but also a large number of Canadian soils of varying properties. The models developed during this project can be linked with multi-criteria decision analysis and environmental risk assessment models. Hence, the knowledge acquired during this project will be of great strategic value to Canadian industries and will provide government agencies like Health Canada and Environment Canada with better decision frameworks and policies to protect human and ecosystem health.