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Nanomaterials can move up the
food chain
Other Topics:
Nanomaterials Report,
Nanotechnology Applications
European Commission, Environment DG
July 21, 2008
The potential environmental risks of nanomaterials,
including their impact on aquatic organisms, have been a
central argument for regulating the nanotechnology sector.
New research suggests that engineered nanomaterials can be
transferred from single celled organisms in the lowest
levels of the food chain, to higher, multi-celled organisms. |
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Nanomaterials are
small, biologically and environmentally stable and
water-soluble, but their long-term environmental impact is
not yet known. US researchers created a model food chain
using two microscopic water creatures -Tetrahymena
pyriformis and its predator Brachionus calyciflorus - to see
whether nanoparticles moved up the food chain. They also
investigated bioaccumulation (where the amount of a chemical
in an organism increases with time) and biomagnification
(where a chemical builds up in a predator because of the
number of contaminated organisms it has eaten).
The nanomaterials studied – quantum dots - were taken in
readily by T. pyriformis, and were transferred intact up the
food chain to the B. calyciflorus. This means that aquatic
organisms at higher levels in food chains may also be
potentially exposed to nanomaterials through their diet.
However, the amount transferred was relatively low and they
did not accumulate in the B. calyciflorus, which the authors
suggest may mean that they do not pose a significant threat
in nature.
These findings may be relevant to various policy sectors
concerned with the emerging area of nanotechnology, water
pollution and ecosystem health. The authors said that while
their results suggest that quantum dots may not pose a
significant risk of accumulating in aquatic invertebrate
food chains, additional research beyond simple laboratory
experiments and a more exact means of quantifying
transferred nanoparticles in environmental systems are
needed to be sure. Another factor in the natural environment
will be how other organic particles interact with the
nanoparticles.
Nanotechnology is already widespread in the EU. It is
expected to have far-reaching effects and help address many
problems facing today's society. It is also expected to
provide a new competitive edge to European industry and the
European economy as a whole, creating many new jobs. Market
analysts foresee a world market for nanotechnologies worth
Euros 750-2000 billion by 2015. The European Commission
supports research into the development of
nanoparticles and nanotechnology based
products as well as their potential impact on human health
and the environment, via toxicological and
ecotoxicological studies. Knowledge
gaps, such as toxicity thresholds and test schemes, need to
be addressed |
