Are nanosized or dissolved metals more toxic in the environment? A meta-analysis

Recently, much has been written about the extreme urgency of elaborating the regulations for engineered nanomaterials. Such regulations are needed both from lawmakers, to protect people from potentially adverse effects, and from industry representatives, to prove that nanoproducts are produced carefully and with caution to avoid possible lawsuits. However, developing regulations has proven to be a difficult task, and an ambiguous topic where errors can easily occur. In the present study, the authors present a meta-analysis of 3 different nanomaterials (nano-Ag, nano-ZnO, and nano-CuO) in which data from ecotoxicity studies and published half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) values are compared for both the nano form and the corresponding dissolved metal. A ratio equal to 1 means that the particle is as toxic as the dissolved metal ion, whereas a lower ratio signifies that the nano form is less toxic than the dissolved metal based on total metal concentrations. The results show that for 93.8% (Ag), 100% (Cu), and 81% (Zn) of the ratios considered, the nano form is less toxic than the dissolved metal in terms of total metal concentration. Very few of the studies surveyed found a ratio of EC50 values for (dissolved/nano) that was larger than 2 (Ag: 1.1%; Cu: 0%; Zn: 2.8%). Hence, a reduction in existing metal concentration thresholds by a factor of 2 in current freshwater and soil regulations for ecotoxicity may be sufficient to protect organisms and compartments from the nano form of these metals as well.