Emerging contaminant or an old toxin in disguise? Silver nanoparticle impacts on ecosystems.

Colman, Benjamin P

Espinasse, Benjamin

Richardson, Curtis J

Matson, Cole W

Lowry, Gregory V

Hunt, Dana E

Wiesner, Mark R

Bernhardt, Emily S

United States

2017-11-01T15:34:20Z

2017-11-01T15:34:20Z

2014-05-06

The use of antimicrobial silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in consumer-products is rising. Much of these AgNPs are expected to enter the wastewater stream, with up to 10% of that eventually released as effluent into aquatic ecosystems with unknown ecological consequences. We examined AgNP impacts on aquatic ecosystems by comparing the effects of two AgNP sizes (12 and 49 nm) to ionic silver (Ag(+); added as AgNO3), a historically problematic contaminant with known impacts. Using 19 wetland mesocosms, we added Ag to the 360 L aquatic compartment to reach 2.5 mg Ag L(-1). Silver treatments and two coating controls were done in triplicate, and compared to four replicate controls. All three silver treatments were toxic to aquatic plants, leading to a significant release of dissolved organic carbon and chloride following exposure. Simultaneously, dissolved methane concentrations increased forty-fold relative to controls in all three Ag treatments. Despite dramatic toxicity differences observed in lab studies for these three forms of Ag, our results show surprising convergence in the direction, magnitude, and duration of ecosystem-scale impacts for all Ag treatments. Our results suggest that all forms of Ag changed solute chemistry driving transformations of Ag which then altered Ag impacts.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24693948

1520-5851

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/15708

eng

American Chemical Society (ACS)

Environ Sci Technol

10.1021/es405454v

Metal Nanoparticles

Particle Size

Plants

Reproducibility of Results

Silver

Wetlands

Emerging contaminant or an old toxin in disguise? Silver nanoparticle impacts on ecosystems.

Journal article

Bernhardt, Emily S|0000-0003-3031-621X

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24693948

5229

5236

9

Biology

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Duke

Duke Science & Society

Earth and Ocean Sciences

Environmental Sciences and Policy

Initiatives

Institutes and Provost's Academic Units

Marine Science and Conservation

Nicholas School of the Environment

Pratt School of Engineering

Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

Published

48