Hazard assessment of nickel nanoparticles in soil—The use of a full life cycle test with Enchytraeus crypticus

Abstract

Nanoparticles (NPs) such as nickel (Ni) are widely used in several applications. Nevertheless, the environmental effects of Ni NPs are still poorly understood. In the present study, the toxicity of Ni NPs and nickel nitrate (NiNO ) was assessed using the standard test species in soil ecotoxicology, Enchytraeus crypticus (Oligochaeta), in a full life cycle test, adding the endpoints hatching, growth, and time to reach maturity, besides survival and reproduction as in the standard Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Guideline 220 and/or International Organization for Standardization 16387. For Ni NPs, the Ni in soil and in soil solution was concentration- and time-dependent, with a relatively higher soil solution content in the lower and shorter exposure concentrations and times. Overall, NiNO was more toxic than Ni NPs, and toxicity seemed to occur via different mechanisms. The former caused reduced hatching (50% effect concentration [EC50] = 39 mg Ni/kg soil), and the negative effects remained throughout the life cycle, in all measured endpoints (growth, maturation, survival, and reproduction). For Ni NPs, hatching was the most sensitive endpoint (EC50 = 870 mg Ni/kg soil), although the organisms recovered; that is, additional endpoints across the life cycle showed that this effect corresponded to a delay in hatching because organisms survived and reproduced at concentrations up to 1800 mg Ni/kg soil. On the other hand, the lowest tested concentration of Ni NPs (100 mg Ni/kg soil) caused reproduction effects similar to those at higher concentrations (1000 and 1800 mg Ni/kg soil). The present results show that the potential implications of a nonmonotonic dose response should be considered when assessing the risks of Ni NP exposure in soil. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2934-2941. © 2017 SETAC.

Environmental Impacts by Fragments Released from Nanoenabled Products: A Multiassay, Multimaterial Exploration by the SUN Approach

“…A nonmonotone dose response has been reported before for Ag 26 and Ni. 43 This could be related to the potentially reduced agglomeration at lower concentrations hence higher exposure and effects. However, we do not have evidence to support this hypothesis for the FP with or without embedded ENMs.…”

Graphene-Based Nanomaterials in Soil: Ecotoxicity Assessment Using Enchytraeus crypticus Reduced Full Life Cycle

“…This is not always the case but it has been observed before for E. crypticus , e.g., when exposed to silver nitrate and silver nanoparticles [24]. On the other hand, exposure to copper oxide nanomaterials [25] or nickel nanoparticles [26] showed that the observed decreased hatching was in fact a delay, and organisms recovered with time. Similarly, the observed reduction in hatching at 5 and 1000 mg rGO/kg was partly a delay and effects were diluted with time, as observed in terms of survival and reproduction.…”

Soil Pollution from Micro- and Nanoplastic Debris: A Hidden and Unknown Biohazard

“…The presence of MPs and NPs in soil aggregates can alter biological, chemical and physical properties of soil [85][86][87][88], and affect the estimation of soil carbon sequestration [89]. The effect of plastics on soil aggregate formation and humic acids properties are shown in Figure 3.…”

“…Indeed, MPs and NPs can interact not only with soil-dwelling invertebrates but also with other organisms, such as terrestrial fungi and plant pollinators, which are involved in essential ecosystem services and functions [81]. However, the negative effects of NPs on the annelid worm, Enchytraeus crypticus, were lower than those due to other nanomaterials [89,[133][134][135]. Not only microorganisms but also molecules adsorbed by plastics affect the interactions between plastics and soil biota.…”