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Limit-test toxicity screening of selected inorganic nanoparticles to the earthworm Eisenia fetida

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Abstract

The toxicity of a range of inorganic (Ag, Cu, Ni, Al2O3, SiO2, TiO2 and ZrO2) nanoparticles (NP) and their corresponding metal salt or bulk metal oxide were screened for toxicity toward the earthworm Eisenia fetida using the limit-test design (1000 mg/kg). This study provides the first ecotoxicological life history trait data on earthworms for each these NPs, as well as for AgNO3, Al2O3, SiO2, TiO2 and ZrO2. Significant effects were observed on survival for AgNO3 (2.5% of controls), CuCl2 (17.5% of controls) and NiCl2 (32.5% of controls) and on reproduction (AgNO3, CuCl2, NiCl2, Ag-NP, Cu-NP, TiO2-NP); with total reproductive failure in both silver treatments. Ag-NP, Cu-NP and TiO2-NP were the only NPs that caused toxic effects to E. fetida. The toxicity could not be singularly related to particle size or zeta potential or to the inherent element constituting the NPs (e.g. Ag).

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful for the financial support of the Danish Strategic Research Council through the NABIIT project 2006-06-0015 “SUNANO—Risk assessment of free nanoparticles”. We are indebted to Jacques Chevalier, Institute of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, and Martin Bremholm and Peter Hald, Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University for technical assistance and discussions concerning NP characterisation. We also thank Elin Jørgensen, Trine G. Sørensen and Mette Thomson, National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University for technical assistance during the biological experiments and University of Bremen for the Al2O3-NP sample.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Terrestrial Ecology, National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University, Po Box 314, Vejlsøvej 25, 8600, Silkeborg, Denmark

    Lars-Henrik Heckmann & Janeck J. Scott-Fordsmand

  2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Mads B. Hovgaard, Duncan S. Sutherland & Flemming Besenbacher

  3. Institute for Public Health, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Herman Autrup

Authors
  1. Lars-Henrik Heckmann
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  2. Mads B. Hovgaard
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  3. Duncan S. Sutherland
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  4. Herman Autrup
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  5. Flemming Besenbacher
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  6. Janeck J. Scott-Fordsmand
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Correspondence to Janeck J. Scott-Fordsmand.

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Heckmann, LH., Hovgaard, M.B., Sutherland, D.S. et al. Limit-test toxicity screening of selected inorganic nanoparticles to the earthworm Eisenia fetida . Ecotoxicology 20, 226–233 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-010-0574-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-010-0574-0

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