Abstract
The use of nano-enabled products (NEPs) can release engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) into water resources, and the increasing commercialisation of NEPs raises the environmental exposure potential. The current study investigated the release of ENMs and their characteristics from six commercial products (sunscreens, body creams, sanitiser, and socks) containing nTiO2, nAg, and nZnO. ENMs were released in aqueous media from all investigated NEPs and were associated with ions (Ag+ and Zn2+) and coating agents (Si and Al). NEPs generally released elongated (7–9 × 66–70 nm) and angular (21–80 × 25–79 nm) nTiO2, near-spherical (12–49 nm) and angular nAg (21–76 × 29–77 nm), and angular nZnO (32–36 × 32–40 nm). NEPs released varying ENMs’ total concentrations (ca 0.4–95%) of total Ti, Ag, Ag+, Zn, and Zn2+ relative to the initial amount of ENMs added in NEPs, influenced by the nature of the product and recipient water quality. The findings confirmed the use of the examined NEPs as sources of nanopollution in water resources, and the physicochemical properties of the nanopollutants were determined. Exposure assessment data from real-life sources are highly valuable for enriching the robust environmental risk assessment of nanotechnology.
Highlights
The global commercialisation of nano-enabled products (NEPs) is growing rapidly year on year [1], and it is estimated to grow from USD 39.2 billion in 2016 to over USD125 billion by 2024 [2]
The current study examined the release and exposure characteristics of product-released engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) from a wide array of NEPs that exhibit a medium to high nanopollution potential toward water resources [6]
TEM images and elemental profiles of productreleased ENMs obtained under dark conditions are given in Figures S2 and S3, respectively
Summary
The global commercialisation of nano-enabled products (NEPs) is growing rapidly year on year [1], and it is estimated to grow from USD 39.2 billion in 2016 to over USD125 billion by 2024 [2]. 5000 NEPs were identified in various global inventories between 2015 and 2021, belonging to six product categories, namely: health and fitness, electronics and computers, home and garden, appliances, automotive, and food beverages [3,4,5,6,7]. These inventories are generally dominated by health and fitness.
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