Abstract
Applications of nanotechnologies in different sectors and everyday items are very promising and their popularity continues to grow. The number of products containing nanoparticles makes environmental exposure to nanoparticles inevitable. The current understanding of the relationships between nanoparticles and the environment is inadequate despite the fast growth of nanotechnologies. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of copper and gold nanoparticles on Daphnia pulex survival. Our study included 48-h acute toxicity tests and determination of median lethal concentration values (LC50s) for Cu-NPs and Au-NPs. For nano-copper, 24 h LC50 was assumed > 1 mg/L, and 48 h LC50 = 0.5117 mg/L. For nano-gold the LC50 value after 24 h was 0.4027 mg/L, and after 48 h 0.1007 mg/L. The toxicity of nano -gold solutions was thus found to be higher than that of nano-copper. The addition of Cu-NPs at 0.0625 mg/L and 0.125 mg/L caused an increased multiplication of daphnia, while Au-NPs at 1 mg/L was an inhibitor of reproduction.
Highlights
A nanoparticle is defined as a small particle of matter with dimensions from one to one hundred nanometers
Solutions for the study were prepared from stock solutions of non-ionic colloidal nano-copper at 25 mg/L and non-ionic colloidal nano-gold at 25 mg/L purchased from the Vitacolloids company, manufactured using physical methods
The mortality rate was below 50% after a 24-h incubation with nano-copper solutions in each of the tested samples, so the LC50 is certainly higher than 1 mg/L
Summary
A nanoparticle is defined as a small particle of matter with dimensions from one to one hundred nanometers. The presence of nanoparticles (NPs) in nature has been observed for a long time, because they are formed during combustion processes, such as fires or volcanic eruptions [1]. They are found in fogs and fumes, and are formed during welding. Humans have deliberately generated NPs. Due to the distinctive optical, magnetic and catalytic characteristics of nanomaterials compared to natural substrates, nanoparticles are being produced on a huge scale [2,3]. Solutions that allow nanoparticles to be used in various sectors are comparatively recent, so there are no extensive, long-term studies to demonstrate what effect they can have on organisms’, including humans’, health and life
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