Nanomaterials in the Ecosystem: Should we worry?

Nanomaterials in Ecosystems: Should we worry? Dr. Emily Bernhardt Assistant Professor of Biology at Duke University Tonight! @ 7pm Cold beer. Hot food. Cool Science. Fan us on Facebook

“ But I am not afraid to consider the final question as to whether, ultimately---in the great future---we can arrange the atoms the way we want; the very atoms, all the way down! What would happen if we could arrange the atoms one by one the way we want them? … Up to now, we have been content to dig in the ground to find minerals.… we must always accept some atomic arrangement that nature gives us. … What would the properties of materials be if we could really arrange the atoms the way we want them? Physicist Richard Feynman “ There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom” December 1959

What is a nanoparticle? An engineered nanoparticle may be defined as any intentionally produced particle that has a characteristic dimension from 1 to 100 nm and has properties that are not shared by non-nanoscale particles with the same chemical composition.

Nanoparticles are ubiquitous in nature Geobacter sulfurreducens expressing pilli Nanoparticulate Iron oxides in Washington, D.C. drinking water Cellulose nanofibrils in maize (2x2μm) Organisms have evolved in systems full of nanomaterials…

Nanoparticles are ubiquitous in nature

What is a nanoparticle? An engineered nanoparticle may be defined as any intentionally produced particle that has a characteristic dimension from 1 to 100 nm and has properties that are not shared by non-nanoscale particles with the same chemical composition.

Titanium dioxide Nanoparticles Carbon Nanotubes Quantum Dots

Nanomaterials are ubiquitous in nature Manufactured Iron oxide nanoparticles Carbon nanotube “superthread” ZnO nanowires Geobacter sulfurreducens expressing pilli Nanoparticulate Iron oxides in Washington, D.C. drinking water Cellulose nanofibrils in maize (2x2μm)

# of consumer products containing NPs From the Project on Emerging Technologies

Nanomaterials, good for the environment?

How can we provide accurate predictions of the fate and impact of novel compounds in natural environments?

Sondi & Sulapek-Sondi 2004

E. coli ≠ Ecosystem

How can Nanoscale materials have ecosystem scale effects?
1. Through direct effects on microbes, algae or plants
2. Through transmission & biomagnification of nanoparticles through food webs

Nanosilver effects on streamwater microbes Work by Ben Colman

Effect of nanosilver on Lolium multiflorum Work by Liyan Yin

Gold (Au) Nanoparticles in foodwebs Images from Jason Unrine, Lee Newman and Paul Bertsch (CEINT, University of Kentucky) Control Exposed (3.5 nm Au) New evidence for trophic transfer & bioaccumulation in tobacco hornworms

Test Tube ≠ Ecosystem

Biosolid + Ag nano application to field wetland microcosms

Biosolid + Ag nano application to field wetland microcosms Prototype slantboard wetland mesocosm With real time environmental monitoring

Q: How should nanomaterials be regulated to maximize potential while minimizing unintended consequences? Q&A Fan us on Facebook Cold beer. Hot food. Cool Science.

Nanomaterials in the Ecosystem: Should we worry?

by Periodic Tables on Mar 23, 2010

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Nanomaterials in the Ecosystem: Should we worry? — Webinar Transcript

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