'Nano' in the environment
Nicholas Wigginton
Monday, 26 May 2008 17:02 UTC
Hey all,
I just posted a discussion question over in the ‘Nanotechnology’ group here about the impacts of nanomaterials and their release into the environment. Feel free to join in the discussion—it should be a good opportunity to interact with researchers that don’t necessarily have an environmental focus.
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Replies
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Thanks for the link and post Nick. This is a fantastic topic for discussion, considering the recent publicity for the effects carbon nanotubes in lung tissues.
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It might be unrelated, but Dr. Robert Tanguay @ Oregon State works on developmental toxicology studies of zebrafish embryos. I recently went to a green chemistry conference where he gave a neat talk on understanding how different substances (nanoparticles included) affect the development through in vivo studies of fish embryos. The nanoparticles in question were synthesized by Jim Hutchison’s lab at the University of Oregon.
Zebrafish embryos were chosen because it is in this stage that the effects can be the most pronounced. (I am not a biologist, but I remember stuff from high school that all embryos look the same at the beginning. However, the mechanism that causes reactions in fish embryos remains the same as in human embryos, but the end-point effects will be different).
More info at this link
Similar studies will help understanding how the size, and chemistry of nanoparticles affects human health.
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