| Engineered nanoparticles are a group of products that are defined by their size, ranging from 1 to around 100 nm. Their small size causes that their physiochemical properties become very different from those of the same material in a larger form. Total production of nanomaterials is expected to increase considerably in the near future. In contrast to this increase in productivity, remarkably little is known on the hazards that nanoparticles may pose to the terrestrial environment. Research on the hazards and effects that nanoparticles may exhibit, is still in its infancy when compared to the research on the toxicity of `conventional¿ chemicals, and the majority of the studies performed so far is focussed on aquatic organisms. Surprisingly few data are available on effects of nanoparticles on soil fauna and their predators, although these may also be exposed to environmentally released nanoparticles (Biswas & Wu, 2005). No studies on nanoparticles addressing their potential to accumulate in (terrestrial) predators are known to the authors of this proposal. This is remarkable, since certain nanoparticles, like fro instance fullerenes, have similar characteristics as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), which are known to be accumulative. Finally, no specific framework is currently applicable for the regulation of nanoparticles in the environment (Van Calster 2006). To address this, the objectives of the current proposal are to (i) get more insight whether soil organisms accumulate nanoparticles from the soil, and which relationships between accumulation and properties of nanoparticles exist? (Toxicokinetics of nanoparticles in soil organisms), and (ii) to assess what adverse effects can be expected upon exposure of soil organisms to nanoparticles? |
