Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
8
ThePotentialEcological
HazardofNanomaterials
Stephen R. Clough
Haley&Aldrich
Contents
8.1. Underlying.Principles.of.Ecological.Exposure,.Effects,.and.“Risk”.......... 170
8.1.1. Terrestrial.vs..Aquatic.Ecosystems.................................................. 170
8.1.2. Risk.and.Hazard............................................................................... 171
8.1.3. Toxicity............................................................................................. 171
8.1.4. Exposure........................................................................................... 173
8.2. Factors.That.Can.Affect.the.Toxicology.of.Nanomaterials......................... 174
8.2.1. Toxicity.of.Nanomaterials................................................................ 174
8.2.2. Exposure.to.Nanomaterials.............................................................. 177
8.2.2.1. Sources.and.Routes.of.Exposure........................................ 177
8.2.2.2. Exposure.and.Dose............................................................. 178
8.2.3. Summary.......................................................................................... 179
8.3. Anticipated.Hazards.To.Terrestrial.Ecosystems......................................... 179
8.4. Anticipated.Hazards.to.Aquatic.Ecosystems............................................... 180
8.4.1. Methodologies.for.Evaluating.Hazards.and.their.Limitations......... 188
8.4.2. Discussion.of.Results........................................................................ 189
8.5. Recommendations.for.Managing.the.Risks.of.Future.Nanomaterials.
and.their.Production.................................................................................... 190
References............................................................................................................... 190
Puzzles.eventually.have.answers;.mysteries,.however,.cannot..Unknowns.or.uncer-
tainties.preclude.a.deinitive.answer.to.a.mystery.[1]..A.mystery.“can.only.be.framed,.
by.identifying.the.critical.factors.and.applying.some.sense.of.how.they.have.inter-
acted.in.the.past.and.might.interact.in.the.future..A.mystery.is.an.attempt.to.deine.
ambiguities”. [1].. In. its. infancy,. nanotechnology. can. seem. mysterious. to. both. the.
layperson.and.the.scientist..Science.now.enables.us.to.construct.nanomaterials.but,.
paradoxically,.some.generally.accepted.scientiic.principles.do.not.appear.to.apply.
to.their.inherent.biological.activity..For.example,.a.substance.like.gold.that.is.physi-
ologically.inert.at.the.microscale.has.been.shown.to.have.biological.activity.at.the.
nanoscale.[2]..This.change,.in.effect,.can.result.from.the.fact.that.a.particle.that.is.
less. than. 100. nanometers. (nm). in. size. can. behave. more. according. to. the. laws. of.
