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An Ecological Perspective on Nanomaterial Impacts in the Environment
Author(s) -
Bernhardt Emily S.,
Colman Benjamin P.,
Hochella Michael F.,
Cardinale Bradley J.,
Nisbet Roger M.,
Richardson Curtis J.,
Yin Liyan
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq2009.0479
Subject(s) - unintended consequences , environmental science , ecology , perspective (graphical) , environmental resource management , computer science , political science , biology , law , artificial intelligence
Growing concerns over the potential for unintended, adverse consequences of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) in the environment have generated new research initiatives focused on understanding the ecological effects of ENPs. Almost nothing is currently known about the fate and transport of ENPs in environmental waters, soils, and sediments or about the biological impacts of ENPs in natural environments, and the bulk of modern nanotoxicogical research is focused on highly controlled laboratory studies with single species in simple media. In this paper, we provide an ecological perspective on the current state of knowledge regarding the likely environmental impacts of nanomaterials and propose a strategy for making rapid progress in new research in ecological nanoscience.