Nanoparticle risk assessment

Using predicted environmental concentrations (PEC) for nanomaterials from our exposure modeling and an evaluation of the ecotoxicological literature to derive PNEC values, we provide first environmental risk assessment for engineered nanomaterials. This work is performed in the context of different research projects.

Publications

Wang, Y.; Deng, L.; Caballero Guzman, A.; Nowack, B. (2016) Are nano iron oxide particles safe? An environmental risk assessment by probabilistic exposure, effect and risk modelling. Nanotoxicology 10: 1545-1554. pdf

Coll, C.; Notter, D.; Gottschalk, F.; Sun, T. Y.; Som, C.; Nowack, B. (2016) Probabilistic environmental risk assessment of five nanomaterials (nano-TiO2, nano-Ag, nano-ZnO, CNT, Fullerenes). Nanotoxicology 10: 436-444. (pdf)

Y Wang, A Kalinina, T Y Sun, B Nowack (2016)  Probabilistic modeling of the flows and environmental risks of nanosilica Sci Total Environ 545-546:  67-76. (pdf)

Mahapatra, I.; Sun, T.Y.; Clark, J.; Dobson, P.; Hungerbuehler, K.; Owen, R.; Nowack, B.; Lead, J. (2015) Probabilistic modelling of prospective environmental concentrations of gold nanoparticles from medical applications as a basis for risk assessment. J. Nanobiotechnol. 13: 93. (pdf)

Notter, D.; Mitrano, D. M., Nowack, B. (2014) Are nanosized or dissolved metals more toxic? A meta-analysis. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 33: 2733–2739.(pdf)

Gottschalk, F.; Kost, E.; Nowack, B. (2013) Engineered nanomaterials in waters and soils: a risk quantification based on probabilistic exposure and effect modeling. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 32: 1278–1287.(pdf)

Gottschalk, F.; Nowack, B. (2013) A probabilistic method for species sensitivity distributions taking into account the inherent uncertainty and variability of effects to estimate environmental risk. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. 9: 79–86. (pdf)

Contact

Prof. Dr. Bernd Nowack 

Empa
Technology & Society Laboratory
Lerchenfeldstrasse 5
CH-9014 St. Gallen
Tel.: +41 58 765 76 92

nowack@empa.ch