Aquatic Toxicity Effects and Risk Assessment of 'Form Specific' Product-Released Engineered Nanomaterials.

Area of Science:

• Environmental toxicology
• Nanotechnology safety
• Ecotoxicology of nano-enabled products

Background:

• Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are increasingly used in consumer products.
• Understanding the ecotoxicity of ENMs and their released ions is crucial for risk assessment.
• Nano-enabled products (NEPs) like sunscreens, sanitisers, body creams, and socks raise environmental concerns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the toxicity of ENMs and released ions from NEPs on aquatic organisms.
• To estimate the ecological risk associated with exposure to these substances.
• To determine the relative contribution of ENMs versus ions to toxicity.

Main Methods:

• Testing toxicity on three standard aquatic test organisms: *Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata*, *Spirodela polyrhiza*, and *Daphnia magna*.
• Assessing effects of ENMs and ions released from sunscreens, sanitisers, body creams, and socks.
• Conducting risk estimations for various exposure scenarios.

Main Results:

• Both ENMs and released ions contributed to toxicity, with synergistic or antagonistic effects observed.
• *Daphnia magna* and *Spirodela polyrhiza* showed the highest and lowest sensitivity, respectively.
• Sanitisers and sunscreens exhibited the most toxic effects; body creams and socks showed negligible impact. ENM internalization was not observed, only adsorption.

Conclusions:

• ENMs and ions from NEPs do not pose an imminent ecological risk, but adverse effects are possible under worst-case scenarios.
• The increasing commercialization of nanotechnology necessitates careful examination of priority exposure cases.
• Ongoing monitoring and research are essential to manage potential environmental risks from widespread NEP use.