Five reasons to use bacteria when assessing manufactured nanomaterial environmental hazards and fates

Patricia A Holden; Joshua P Schimel; Hilary A Godwin

doi:10.1016/j.copbio.2013.11.008

Five reasons to use bacteria when assessing manufactured nanomaterial environmental hazards and fates

Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2014 Jun:27:73-8. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2013.11.008. Epub 2013 Dec 15.

Authors

Patricia A Holden¹, Joshua P Schimel², Hilary A Godwin³

Affiliations

¹ Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5131, USA; University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC CEIN), University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7227, USA. Electronic address: holden@bren.ucsb.edu.
² Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9620, USA; University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC CEIN), University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7227, USA.
³ Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC CEIN), University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7227, USA.

PMID: 24863899
DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2013.11.008

Abstract

Manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) are increasingly incorporated into everyday products and thus are entering the environment via manufacturing, product use, and waste disposal. Still, understanding MNM environmental hazards and fates lags MNM industry growth. To catch up, keep pace, and influence future MNM safe design strategies, rapid safety assessments are needed. Bacteria are important ecological nanotoxicology targets to consider when assessing MNM safety: bacteria are exposed to MNMs in water, sewage, soils, and sediments, wherein they influence MNM fates; bacteria can also be impacted-with potential health and ecosystem consequences. Routinely using bacteria for assessing MNMs would promote effective management of the environmental risks of this rapidly growing industry, but appropriate protocols and policies for this assessment need to be instituted.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Bacteria / classification
Bacteria / drug effects*
Bacteria / isolation & purification
Bacteria / metabolism
Ecosystem*
Ecotoxicology / methods*
Environmental Microbiology*
Humans
Nanostructures / adverse effects*
Nanostructures / analysis
Refuse Disposal
Risk Assessment / methods*
Toxicity Tests
Wastewater / chemistry

Substances

Waste Water