Behavior and Potential Impacts of Metal-Based Engineered Nanoparticles in Aquatic Environments.
The specific properties of metal-based nanoparticles (NPs) have not only led to rapidly increasing applications in various industrial and commercial products, but also caused environmental concerns due to the inevitable release of NPs and their unpredictable biological/ecological impacts. This review discusses the environmental behavior of metal-based NPs with an in-depth analysis of the mechanisms and kinetics. The focus is on knowledge gaps in the interaction of NPs with aquatic organisms, which can influence the fate, transport and toxicity of NPs in the aquatic environment. Aggregation transforms NPs into micrometer-sized clusters in the aqueous environment, whereas dissolution also alters the size distribution and surface reactivity of metal-based NPs. A unique toxicity mechanism of metal-based NPs is related to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the subsequent ROS-induced oxidative stress. Furthermore, aggregation, dissolution and ROS generation could influence each other and also be influenced by many factors, including the sizes, shapes and surface charge of NPs, as well as the pH, ionic strength, natural organic matter and experimental conditions. Bioaccumulation of NPs in single organism species, such as aquatic plants, zooplankton, fish and benthos, is summarized and compared. Moreover, the trophic transfer and/or biomagnification of metal-based NPs in an aquatic ecosystem are discussed. In addition, genetic effects could result from direct or indirect interactions between DNA and NPs. Finally, several challenges facing us are put forward in the review.
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA. cpeng@dhu.edu.cn.|Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. cpeng@dhu.edu.cn.|Department of Environmental Science, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China. cpeng@dhu.edu.cn.
Cheng
C
Peng
John A. Reif, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA. wzhang81@njit.edu.
Wen
W
Zhang
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA. hgao49@gatech.edu.
Haiping
H
Gao
State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China. liyang_bnu@bnu.edu.cn.
Yang
Y
Li
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA. xtong37@gatech.edu.
Xin
X
Tong
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA. li.kungang@gmail.com.
Kungang
K
Li
Shenzhen Public Platform for Screening and Application of Marine Microbial Resources, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China. zhu.xiaoshan@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn.|Joint Center for Global Change Studies (JCGCS), Beijing 100875, China. zhu.xiaoshan@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn.
Xiaoshan
X
Zhu
Shenzhen Public Platform for Screening and Application of Marine Microbial Resources, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen 518055, China. 572997688@qq.com.
Yixiang
Y
Wang
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA. yongsheng.chen@ce.gatech.edu.
Yongsheng
Y
Chen
DLVO theory; DNA interactions; ROS; aggregation; antibacterial; bioaccumulation; biomagnification; dissolution; toxicity; tropical levels