Interactions between nanomaterials and natural organic matter in the environment need to be considered when assessing fate, bioavailability and toxicity, according to a team of researchers from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea.
The team has investigated how such matter might affect the toxicity of carbon nanomaterials by exposing combinations of the materials to embryos of Japanese medaka, small fish found in oceans and rivers in southeast Asia.
The researchers altered the properties of fullerenes (C60) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in a variety of ways before exposing the embryos to solutions of the nanomaterials, with or without natural organic matter. In particular, the embryonic toxicity of acid-treated MWCNTs and MWCNTs modulated by ion exchange decreased in the presence of natural organic matter. The researchers suggest these differences result from the shape of the nanoparticles and their physicochemical properties.
The research is published in Science of the Total Environment.
Fonte: Chemical Watch
