Physical and Chemical Transformations of Engineered Nanoparticles: Implications for Environmental Fate in Aquatic Environments

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), which have at least one dimension in the range of 1-100 nm, are used in the manufacture of various household and industrial products (e.g. personal care products, paints and coatings) to enable or enhance specific functions. ENPs can be released from these products to aquatic systems with runoff and wastewater effluents. A significant number of these ENPs in their ‘pristine’ forms (as ingredients in product formulations) have been shown to be toxic to aquatic and other organisms. Surface and groundwaters are sources of our drinking water as well as important components of our ecosystem, and thus research into the potential environmental and health impacts of increasing releases of ENPs to aquatic environments is an urgent necessity.