The algal toxicity of silver engineered nanoparticles and detoxification by exopolymeric substances

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) 2009-11, Vol.157 (11), p.3034-3041
• Main Authors: Miao, Ai-Jun, Schwehr, Kathy A., Xu, Chen, Zhang, Sai-Jin, Luo, Zhiping, Quigg, Antonietta, Santschi, Peter H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ag-ENs; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; biopolymers; Diatoms - drug effects; Diatoms - metabolism; Dissolution; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on plants and fungi; EPS; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Nanoparticle; Nanoparticles; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Nanoparticles - toxicity; nanotechnology; particle size; Phytoplankton; Polysaccharides - metabolism; Seawater - analysis; Silver; Silver - chemistry; Silver - metabolism; Silver - toxicity; Thalassiosira; Thalassiosira weissflogii; Thiols; Tolerances; Toxicity; toxicity testing; Water Pollutants, Chemical - chemistry; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; water pollution
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2009.05.047

In this study, we report that silver ions (Ag +) from the oxidative dissolution of silver engineered nanoparticles (Ag-ENs) determined the EN toxicity to the marine diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii. Most of the Ag-ENs formed non-toxic aggregates (>0.22 μm) in seawater. When the free Ag + concentration ([Ag +] F) was greatly reduced by diafiltration or thiol complexation, no toxicity was observed, even though the Ag-ENs were better dispersed in the presence of thiols with up to 1.08 × 10 −5 M Ag-ENs found in the