Assessment of Nanopollution from Commercial Products in Water Environments

Abstract

The use of nano-enabled products (NEPs) can release engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) into water resources, and the increasing commercialisation of NEPs raises the environmental exposure potential. The current study investigated the release of ENMs and their characteristics from six commercial products (sunscreens, body creams, sanitiser, and socks) containing nTiO2, nAg, and nZnO. ENMs were released in aqueous media from all investigated NEPs and were associated with ions (Ag+ and Zn2+) and coating agents (Si and Al). NEPs generally released elongated (7–9 × 66–70 nm) and angular (21–80 × 25–79 nm) nTiO2, near-spherical (12–49 nm) and angular nAg (21–76 × 29–77 nm), and angular nZnO (32–36 × 32–40 nm). NEPs released varying ENMs’ total concentrations (ca 0.4–95%) of total Ti, Ag, Ag+, Zn, and Zn2+ relative to the initial amount of ENMs added in NEPs, influenced by the nature of the product and recipient water quality. The findings confirmed the use of the examined NEPs as sources of nanopollution in water resources, and the physicochemical properties of the nanopollutants were determined. Exposure assessment data from real-life sources are highly valuable for enriching the robust environmental risk assessment of nanotechnology.

A BaTiO3/WS2 composite for piezo-photocatalytic persulfate activation and ofloxacin degradation

“…L −1 . However, their low biodegradability and continuous release into the water resources result in their higher concentration reaching hazardous levels 44 , 45 . The concentration of OFL has been reported to be in the range of ng.…”

Mapping the Complex Journey of Swimming Pool Contaminants: A Multi-Method Systems Approach

“…Therefore, the impact of these variables on the total TiO 2 concentration in the SPW can be defined and predicted well. However, the situation changes considerably once the TiO 2 particles enter the SPW environment as their behaviour and fate greatly depend on the individual SPW chemistry (e.g., ionic strength) [78][79][80] and TiO 2 particle properties (e.g., TiO 2 particle surface chemistry) [81,82] that can additionally change over time (TiO 2 particle surface (coating) dissolution) [83,84]. As the behaviour and fate depend on multiple factors, a high number of both directional arrows (+ or −; see Figure 6, yellow arrows (b)) were displayed in the third CLD.…”

A Diagrammatic Mini-Review on Soil-Human Health-Nexus: with Focus on Soil Nano-Pollution

“…Nanopollution in soil and their emerging concerns and risks Adhikari and Dharmarajan (2021) Possible effects of glass nanopollution on soil-plant system, on marine, terrestrial environments and affects food web Kumari et al (2022) Study the problems resulted from nano-bioremediation of pesticides from the contaminated soil Remediation role of nano zero valent iron combined with earthworm in polluted soil with polychlorinated biphenyls Zhang et al 2023 Water nanopollution Study and assessment of nanopollution resulted from different commercial products in water environments (sunscreens, body creams, sanitizer, and socks), which mainly contain nTiO 2 , nAg, and nZnO Lehutso and Thwala (2021) Nanopollution in the aquatic environments including phytoplankton, bacteria, zooplankton, and fish, their toxicological responses NPs-nanopollution in soil at the rhizosphere level, and their impacts on cultivated plants with focus on the effects of these NPs on plant producing primary and secondary metabolites Bouyahya et al (2022) Long-term uncertainty of biodegradable mulch film residues associated microplastics pollution on plant-soil health. Bioplastics are much easier to form nano-plastics and cause stronger toxic to plants Zhou et al (2023) Nanopollution in soil-plant system Soil nano-plastic pollution and its implications on soil-plant system through its impacts on nitrogen cycling and soil microbial activity Iqbal et al (2020) Nano-plastic pollution has ecological influence on soil-plant system and human health and can be transferred through the food chains Allouzi et al (2021) Nano-agrochemical ZnO toxicity reduced microbial activity, carbon, and nitrogen cycling of applied manures in the soil-plant system…”

“…6 (2022) nanomaterials, where these nano-wastes are released into the environment and reach humans (Biswas and Sarkar 2019). Nanopollution can be found in the soil (Adhikari and Dharmarajan 2021), aquatic environments (Biswas and Sarkar 2019;Lehutso and Thwala 2021), food (Karimi et al 2018), and plant systems (Rizwan et al 2021;Bouyahya et al 2022;Murali et al 2022). The increasing use of NPs in different sectors and for commercial purposes has increased their risks to the environment and to human health (Jan et al 2022).…”