Ecotoxicity of Nanomaterials in Aquatic Environment

Abstract

Nanotechnology is a revolutionary multidisciplinary field spanning a wide spectrum of basic and applied sciences for production and application of nano-sized materials for innovative solutions. Although research in this field is relatively new, living organisms have been running on such nanomolecules as the main constituents (proteins, nucleic acids) of their cells for billions of years since their advent on earth. In this context, most engineered nanomaterials can readily bind to and incorporate into cells and integrate with their constituents, given their physicochemical characteristics and bioavailability. Thus, discharging such materials into the environment may pose detrimental effect on the health of organisms and environment. Today, there is an ever-increasing concern about synthetic nanomaterials given the result of many ecotoxicological studies reporting their adverse effects. In this chapter, in the light of recent studies, we discussed the toxicological properties and potential risks of nanomaterials in terms of factors contributing to their toxicology, bioavailability, and accumulation in aquatic organisms and in the environment.