Ecosafety of nanomaterials in the aquatic environment

Abstract

Nanomaterials (NMs) are considered a new class of emerging contaminants whose uncertainty about their ecosafety and sustainability need to be addressed to protect human health and the aquatic environment. In this chapter the major inputs of NMs in the aquatic environment, the efficiency of wastewater treatment processes available to remove NMs, the importance of understanding the speciation and bioavailability of NMs in the aquatic environment and their toxicological effects on fresh and marine species as well as the interactive effects of NMs with other contaminants, and the applicability of the existing framework of environmental risk assessment to NMs are reviewed.