Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Haynes, Vena N.
• Ward, J. Evan
• Russell, Brandon J.
• Agrios, Alexander G.

Titel

Photocatalytic effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on aquatic organisms—Current knowledge and suggestions for future research

Ist Teil von

• Aquatic toxicology, 2017-04, Vol.185, p.138-148

Ort / Verlag

Netherlands: Elsevier B.V

Erscheinungsjahr

2017

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Elsevier ScienceDirect Journals Complete

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• •Ecotoxicological approaches are needed to predict effects of photoactive nanomaterials.•Research on effects of photoactive nanomaterials must include defined light fields.•Light fields must be appropriate for depth, latitude, season and water properties.•Physicochemical properties of water can alter light fields and photoreactivity. Nanoparticles are entering natural systems through product usage, industrial waste and post-consumer material degradation. As the production of nanoparticles is expected to increase in the next decade, so too are predicted environmental loads. Engineered metal-oxide nanomaterials, such as titanium dioxide, are known for their photocatalytic capabilities. When these nanoparticles are exposed to ultraviolet radiation in the environment, however, they can produce radicals that are harmful to aquatic organisms. There have been a number of studies that have reported the toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in the absence of light. An increasing number of studies are assessing the interactive effects of nanoparticles and ultraviolet light. However, most of these studies neglect environmentally-relevant experimental conditions. For example, researchers are using nanoparticle concentrations and light intensities that are too high for natural systems, and are ignoring water constituents that can alter the light field. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge of the photocatalytic effects of TiO2 nanoparticles on aquatic organisms, discuss the limitations of these studies, and outline environmentally-relevant factors that need to be considered in future experiments.