纳米二氧化钛在老化环境条件下对铜诱导毒性的影响

纳米二氧化钛颗粒(nTiO₂)可以通过吸附表层水中共生重金属来改变它们对淡水无脊椎动物的毒性。然而,影响这种交互过程的几种环境因子的相对重要性仍不清楚。因此,本研究通过连续72 h的培养试验,评估了老化对Cu与nTiO₂对大型蚤Daphnia magna联合急性毒性的影响。在老化过程中,对老化时间以及离子强度、pH值和不同质量有机物质等因子都进行了考察。研究结果表明,尽管影响效应的大小不同,nTiO₂的存在往往减少了老化后Cu对大型蚤的诱发毒性,在没有nTiO₂的情况下,Cu对大型蚤急性毒性的EC₅₀值提高了3倍之多。此外,各种形态Cu的形成受到介质中的离子组成、pH值以及有机添加剂存在的影响,这一过程受到极大的调控,并随着老化时间对大型蚤生态毒性的响应有一定影响。尽管如此,该研究的结论对nTiO₂在淡水生态系统中不同环境条件下,改变重金属诱发毒性的潜在作用提供了有力的支持。然而,这种模式需要进一步验证,比如结合不同性质的重金属离子与不同的环境因素,如紫外线照射。
精选自Ricki R. Rosenfeldt, Frank Seitz, Ann-Cathrin Haigis, Johanna H?ger, Jochen P. Zubrod, Ralf Schulz, Mirco Bundschuh. Nanosized titanium dioxide influences copper induced toxicity during aging as a function of environmental conditions. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry: Volume 35, Issue 7, pages 1766–1774, July 2016. DOI: 10.1002/etc.3325
详情请见http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/etc.3325/full
     

Tracing the fate of PCBs in forest ecosystems

Forests were shown to play an important role in influencing atmospheric concentrations and transport of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environment. World forests cover more than 4 billion hectares and contain up to 80% of the above ground organic carbon. Given the lipophilic nature of POPs, this suggests that forests can influence the environmental fate of POPs at a global scale. POP accumulation in forest canopies still presents points of concern given the complexity of these ecosystems. In particular, the role of ecological parameters such as LAI (leaf area index) and SLA (specific leaf area) and their dynamics during the growing season was not sufficiently investigated yet. This paper reviews, compares and interprets a unique case study in which air and leaf concentrations and deposition fluxes for selected polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in three different forest types exposed to the same air masses. In order to trace the air-leaf-soil path of these compounds, a dynamic model of POP accumulation into forest canopy was applied. The dynamics of the canopy biomass strongly affected the trend of leaf concentration with time. Growth dilution effect can prevent the more chlorinated compounds from reaching the partitioning equilibrium before litter fall, while the more volatile compounds can approach equilibrium in the range of few weeks. An amount of up to 60 ng of PCBs per square metre of ground surface was predicted to be stored in each of the selected forests at fully developed canopy. Dry gaseous deposition fluxes to forest canopy were estimated to reach a maximum value of about 0.5-1.5 ng m(-2) d(-1) during the spring period.     

Effects of nano-TiO(2) in combination with ambient UV-irradiation on a leaf shredding amphipod

Production and use of engineered nanoparticles, such as titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nTiO₂), is increasing worldwide, enhancing their probability to enter aquatic environments. However, direct effects of nTiO₂ as well as ecotoxicological consequences due to the interactions of nTiO₂ with environmental factors like ultraviolet (UV) irradiation on representatives of detrital food webs have not been assessed so far. Hence, the present study displayed for the first time adverse sublethal effects of nTiO₂ at concentrations as low as 0.2 mg L⁻¹ on the leaf shredding amphipod Gammarus fossarum both in presence and absence of ambient UV-irradiation following a 7-d exposure. In absence of UV-irradiation, however, the effects seemed to be driven by accumulation of nTiO₂ at the bottom of the test vessels to which the gammarids were potentially exposed. The adverse sublethal and lethal effects on gammarids caused by the combined application of nTiO₂ and ambient UV-irradiation are suggested to be driven by the formation of reactive oxygen species. In conclusion, both the accumulation of nTiO₂ at the bottom of the test vessel and the UV induced formation of reactive oxygen species clearly affected its ecotoxicity, which is recommended for consideration in the environmental risk assessment of nanoparticles.     

Ecotoxicologial evaluation of wastewater ozonation based on detritus-detritivore interactions

Advanced oxidation technologies such as ozonation have been proposed to improve removal efficiency of micropollutants during wastewater treatment. In a meta-analysis of peer-reviewed literature, we found no ecotoxicological effects of wastewater ozonation on invertebrates (n = 82), but significant adverse effects on bacteria (n = 24) and fish (n = 5). As information on functional endpoints or trophic interactions is lacking, we applied a bioassay relating to leaf litter decomposition to fill this gap. Leaf discs exposed to ozone-treated wastewater with a high (1.04 mg O₃ (mg DOC)⁻¹, n = 49) ozone concentration were significantly preferred by an aquatic detritivore, Gammarus fossarum, over discs conditioned in wastewater not treated with ozone. This effect might have been mediated by reduced bacterial and elevated fungal biomass, and appears to be the first demonstration of wastewater ozonation impacts on invertebrates and an associated ecosystem process. In accordance with the food-choice trials, chemical analyses revealed significantly decreased concentrations of organic micropollutants in wastewater treated with ozone at high concentrations. Thus, food-choice trials as applied here hold promise to assess environmental effects of advanced oxidation technologies in wastewater treatment and appear to be a valuable complement to the ecotoxicological toolbox in general.