Is anything out there ? What life-cycle perspectives of nano-products can tell us about nanoparticles in the environment
Event details
| Date | 11.05.2009 |
| Hour | 16:15 |
| Speaker | Dr. Bernd Nowack, EMPA |
| Location |
GR B30
|
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
The behavior and the effects of nanomaterials in the environment are currently under heavy investigation and are discussed both in the scientific world as well as in the public. An elementary step towards a quantitative assessment of the risks of new compounds to the environment is to calculate their predicted environmental concentrations (PEC). We used a life-cycle perspective to model the quantities of engineered nanoparticles released into the environment. The quantification was based on a substance flow analysis of nanoparticles from products to air, soil, water and sediments. The method was applied to the engineered nanoparticles titanium dioxide, silver, carbon nanotubes, fullerenes,and ZnO. The PEC-values obtained with this modeling were then compared to the predicted no effect concentrations (PNEC) derived from the ecotoxicological literature to estimate a possible risk. The expected concentrations of the nanoparticles in the different environmental compartments vary widely, caused by the different life cycles of the nanoparticle-containing products. The results of this study make it possible for the first time to carry out a quantitative risk assessment of nanoparticles in the environment and suggest further detailed studies of nano-titanium dioxide.
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Contact
- A. Berne