The aim of this PhD was to identify important factors that affect toxicity of copper nanoparticles (NPs), and to explore suited evaluation strategies to better understand the risk of metallic NPs... Show moreThe aim of this PhD was to identify important factors that affect toxicity of copper nanoparticles (NPs), and to explore suited evaluation strategies to better understand the risk of metallic NPs to organisms from different trophic levels. Based on this aim, the specific objectives of this PhD-thesis were: [1] To develop a framework for nanotoxicity testing to better understand the toxicity of NPs across species. [2] To apply the proposed testing framework to evaluate the toxicity of NPs, using species from different trophic levels. [3] To assess the risk of NPs by comparing the toxicity of NPs at different trophic levels. Three spherical copper NPs (CuNPs) with different diameters (25, 50 and 100 nm), one type of rod shaped CuNP (78 nm) and one type of micro copper particle (500 nm) were used in this thesis. Two types of mammalian cell lines and two types of piscine cell lines (Chapter 3), five cladoceran species (Chapter 4), three Lemnaceae species (Chapter 5) and three fish species (Chapter 6) were used to determine the toxicity of CuNPs. The species used covered different trophic levels and hence can provide systematic information for the risk assessment of CuNPs in the environment. Show less
As a result of ever increasing applications, nanoparticles will eventually end up in the environment. However, currently no common principle has been established to help understand the toxicity of... Show moreAs a result of ever increasing applications, nanoparticles will eventually end up in the environment. However, currently no common principle has been established to help understand the toxicity of nanoparticles (NPs) across species. Therefore, it is difficult to estimate the potential risks of nanoparticles to untested species in the environment. The authors exposed 4 different sizes of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) and 1 submicron-sized copper particle to 5 cladoceran species (Daphnia magna, Daphnia pulex, Daphnia galeata, Ceriodaphnia dubia, and Chydorus sphaericus) to investigate whether morphological attributes of species can help to assess the acute toxicity of CuNPs across species. The results showed that rod-shaped CuNPs caused much lower toxicity to all species than spherical CuNPs. Both the particles and ions contributed to the total toxicity of the CuNP suspensions. Moreover, the toxicity caused by particles in 5 different copper suspensions increases with decreasing body length, surface area, and body volume of neonates of 5 cladoceran species. Especially the correlations between body volume of the 5 cladoceran species tested and the corresponding toxicity caused by 5 different CuNPs were statistically significant, and in all cases radj2 was higher than 0.51 (p < 0.001). The highest correlation was found between body volume and the toxicity of the 78-nm CuNPs (radj2 = 0.95, p < 0.001). To conclude, the correlations between attributes of cladoceran species and the toxicity of CuNPs reported in the present study evoke the possibility to assess and extrapolate the toxicity of nanoparticles across species with similar attributes. Environ Toxicol Chem 2015;34:1863–1869 Show less
Janssens, G.O.; Terhaard, C.H.; Doornaert, P.A.; Bijl, H.P.; Ende, P. van den; Chin, A.; ... ; Kaanders, J.H. 2012
