TiO2 Nanoparticles in the Marine Environment: Impact on the Toxicity of Tributyltin to Abalone (Haliotis diversicolor supertexta) Embryos

• Published in: Environmental science & technology 2011-04, Vol.45 (8), p.3753-3758
• Main Authors: Zhu, Xiaoshan, Zhou, Jin, Cai, Zhonghua
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Ecotoxicology and Human Environmental Health; Embryo, Nonmammalian - drug effects; Embryo, Nonmammalian - metabolism; Gastropoda - drug effects; Gastropoda - embryology; Gastropoda - metabolism; Metal Nanoparticles - chemistry; Metal Nanoparticles - toxicity; Oxidative Stress; Seawater - chemistry; Titanium - chemistry; Titanium - metabolism; Titanium - toxicity; Trialkyltin Compounds - toxicity; Water Pollutants, Chemical - chemistry; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity
• ISSN: 0013-936X; 1520-5851
• DOI: 10.1021/es103779h

Little information is available on the potential ecotoxicity of manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) in the marine environment. To carefully address this issue, the toxicity of nanosized titanium dioxide (nTiO2) aggregates in the marine environment was evaluated using abalone (Haliotis diversicolor supertexta) embryonic development as a model. The effect of nTiO2 aggregates on the toxicity of the highly toxic marine antifouling compound tributyltin (TBT) to abalone embryos was also investigated. No developmental effects of nTiO2 were observed at 2 mg/L but concentrations ≥10 mg/L caused hatching inhibition and malformations. The presence of 2 mg/L nTiO2 increased the toxicity of TBT up to 20-fold compared with TBT alone. This enhancement of TBT may be due to the combined effects of TBT adsorption onto nTiO2 aggregates and the internalization of nTiO2 aggregates by abalone embryos. These observations indicate that MNMs may have important indirect impacts on aquatic organisms by varying the toxicity of coexisting pollutants. Thus, risk assessments for MNMs should consider both their direct effects and possible indirect effects of interactions with other environmental contaminants.