Tiede Karen, Hassellöv Martin, Breitbarth Eike, Chaudhry Qasim, Boxall Alistair B A
Environment Department, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK.
J Chromatogr A. 2009 Jan 16;1216(3):503-9. doi: 10.1016/j.chroma.2008.09.008. Epub 2008 Sep 7.
There is an increasing concern over the safety of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) to humans and the environment and it is likely that the environmental risks of these particles will have to be tested under regulatory schemes such as REACH. Due to their unique properties and the fact that their detection and characterisation in complex matrices is challenging, existing analytical methods and test approaches for assessing environmental risk may not be appropriate for ENPs. In this article we discuss the challenges associated with the testing of ENPs to generate data on persistence, mobility, bioavailability and ecotoxicity in the environment. It is essential that careful consideration is given to the selection of the test material, the test system (including test vessels and study media) and the test exposure conditions. During a study it is critical that not only the concentration of the ENP is determined but also its characteristics (e.g. size, shape, degree of aggregation and dissolution). A range of analytical techniques is available including microscopy-based approaches (e.g transmission and scanning electron microscopy), dynamic light scattering, and size separation approaches (e.g. field flow fractionation and hydrodynamic chromatography) coupled to detection methods such as inductively coupled plasma MS. All of these have their disadvantages: some are unable to distinguish between ENPs and natural interferences; some techniques require sample preparation approaches that can introduce artefacts; and others are complex and time-consuming. A combination of techniques is therefore needed. Our knowledge in this area is still limited, and co-ordinated research is required to gain a better understanding of the factors and processes affecting ENP fate and effects in the environment as well as to develop more usable, robust and sensitive methods for characterisation and detection of ENPs in environmental systems.
工程纳米颗粒（ENPs）对人类和环境安全的担忧日益增加，很可能必须根据诸如《化学品注册、评估、授权和限制法规》（REACH）等监管计划对这些颗粒的环境风险进行测试。由于其独特的性质以及在复杂基质中对其进行检测和表征具有挑战性，现有的评估环境风险的分析方法和测试方法可能不适用于ENPs。在本文中，我们讨论了与测试ENPs以生成有关其在环境中的持久性、迁移性、生物可利用性和生态毒性数据相关的挑战。必须仔细考虑测试材料、测试系统（包括测试容器和研究介质）以及测试暴露条件的选择。在一项研究中，至关重要的是不仅要确定ENP的浓度，还要确定其特性（例如尺寸、形状、聚集程度和溶解程度）。有一系列分析技术可供使用，包括基于显微镜的方法（例如透射和扫描电子显微镜）、动态光散射以及与电感耦合等离子体质谱等检测方法联用的尺寸分离方法（例如场流分级和流体动力学色谱）。所有这些方法都有其缺点：有些无法区分ENPs和天然干扰物；有些技术需要可能会引入假象的样品制备方法；还有些方法复杂且耗时。因此需要多种技术相结合。我们在这一领域的知识仍然有限，需要开展协调研究，以更好地了解影响ENPs在环境中的归宿和效应的因素及过程，并开发出更实用、更稳健和更灵敏的方法，用于表征和检测环境系统中的ENPs。
