Promoting a sustainable nanotechnology industry by evaluating the environmental risks of nanoparticle release from nano-enhanced materials in the Canadian environment

工程纳米颗粒(ENPs)至少有一个维度在1-100 nm的范围内，用于工业和消费产品的制造，以实现或增强高性能产品的特定功能。许多含有ENP的产品直接暴露在环境中。因此，ENPs可能会释放到环境中，特别是水生生态系统中。最近，基于全球大致生产量的模型预测和从产品到不同环境隔间的材料流动分析，已经提供了一些估计。这些研究表明，环境中的ENPs水平接近对水生生物造成毒性的水平，随着ENPs产量的增加，未来几年可能会对水生生态系统健康造成不利影响。在这项研究中，我们将评估油漆和纸板产品中ENPs的释放情况。当室外油漆暴露在降水(雨雪)以及阳光、盐雾和冰冻温度的恶劣气候中时，ENPs可能会释放到水中，进入水中生态系统。同样，当纸板暴露在纸张回收过程中时，纸张中的ENPs可能会随污水排放到水体中。在这项研究中，我们将开发分析方法来测量ENP的释放。我们将探索这些ENPs的环境行为和毒性与用于制造油漆或纸板产品的原始ENPs有何不同。结果将为实施安全纳米技术的政策提供信息，并将向我们的工业合作伙伴和政策制定者提供关于从各种产品中释放的ENPs对水生生态系统影响的深入知识。

Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), which have at least one dimension in the range of 1-100 nm, are used in the manufacture of industrial and consumer products, to enable or enhance specific functions towards delivery of high performance products. Many ENP-containing products are directly exposed to the environment. As a result, ENPs may be released to the environment, particularly to aquatic ecosystems. Recently, some estimates have been provided from model predictions based on approximate worldwide production volumes, and materials flow analyses from the products to different environmental compartments. These studies suggest that levels of ENPs in the environment are close to levels that induce toxicity in aquatic organisms, and with increased production of ENPs in future years, are likely to cause adverse impacts to aquatic ecosystem health. In this study we will assess the release of ENPs from paint and paperboard products. When outdoor paint is exposed to precipitation (rain and snow) along with harsh weathering by sunlight, salt spray and freezing temperatures, ENPs may be released to water which may enter aquatic ecosystems. Similarly, when paperboard is exposed to paper recycling processes, ENPs from paper may be released with effluents to water bodies. In this study we will develop analytical methods to measure ENP release. We will explore how the environmental behaviour and toxicity of these ENPs differ from the pristine ENPs that were used in the manufacture of the paint or paperboard products. The results will inform policies on the implementation of safe nanotechnology and will provide in-depth knowledge to our industrial partners and to policy markers on the impact of ENPs released from various products on aquatic ecosystems.