A s stated in Part 1 of this article (Bhattacharyya et al. 2017), nanotechnology has been applied in the last 10 to 15 years across a wide and increasing range of sectors including healthcare, electronics, food production, and cosmetics. Nanotechnology could also improve water and wastewater treatment and use, including enabling use of traditionally unconventional water sources. Just as with any new technology, there are risks associated with nanotechnology use and as such, strategic and wise application is necessary. This two-part article is an overview of nanotechnology applications and implications within the water industry. Part 1 provided a basic background on nanotechnology and literature survey on nanoparticle use, fate, and effects in various types of water systems. Part 2 describes the toxicological and ecological impacts of nanoparticles (NPs), reviews analytical measurement techniques, and assesses where novel platforms would be most beneficial. TOXICOLOGY/ECOLOGY IMPACTS With rapidly increasing use of engineered nanomaterials, environmental release of these contaminants is likely already occurring, perhaps on a significant scale. Approximately 6-8% of annual funding from the National Nanotechnology Initiative is for assessing environmental health and safety of nanomaterials (NNI n.d.
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