Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 411 Durham Hall, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
J Environ Qual. 2010 Nov-Dec;39(6):1883-95. doi: 10.2134/jeq2010.0050.
In studies that have explored the potential environmental impacts of manufactured nanomaterials, the atmosphere has largely been viewed as an inert setting that acts merely as a route for inhalation exposure. Manufactured nanomaterials will enter the atmosphere during production, use, and disposal, and rather than simply being transported, airborne nanoparticles are in fact subject to physical and chemical transformations that could modify their fate, transport, bioavailability, and toxicity once they deposit to aqueous and terrestrial ecosystems. The objective of this paper is to review the factors affecting carbonaceous nanomaterials' behavior in the environment and to show that atmospheric transformations, often overlooked, have the potential to alter nanoparticles' physical and chemical properties and thus influence their environmental fate and impact. Atmospheric processing of naturally occurring and incidental nanoparticles takes place through coagulation, condensation, and oxidation; these phenomena are expected to affect manufactured nanoparticles as well. It is likely that carbonaceous nanomaterials in the atmosphere will be oxidized, effectively functionalizing them. By influencing size, shape, and surface chemistry, atmospheric transformations have the potential to affect a variety of nanoparticle-environment interactions, including solubility, interaction with natural surfactants, deposition to porous media, and ecotoxicity. Potential directions for future research are suggested to address the current lack of information surrounding atmospheric transformations of engineered nanomaterials.
在研究制造纳米材料的潜在环境影响的过程中，大气在很大程度上被视为一种惰性环境，仅作为吸入暴露的途径。制造纳米材料在生产、使用和处置过程中会进入大气，而空气中的纳米颗粒实际上不仅会被运输，还会经历物理和化学转化，这些转化可能会改变它们的命运、传输、生物利用度和毒性，一旦它们沉积到水和陆地生态系统中。本文的目的是综述影响碳质纳米材料在环境中行为的因素，并表明经常被忽视的大气转化有可能改变纳米颗粒的物理和化学性质，从而影响它们的环境归宿和影响。通过凝聚、凝结和氧化等过程，大气中的天然和偶然纳米颗粒发生大气处理；预计这些现象也会影响制造的纳米颗粒。大气中的碳质纳米材料很可能被氧化，从而有效地对其进行功能化。通过影响尺寸、形状和表面化学，大气转化有可能影响多种纳米颗粒与环境的相互作用，包括溶解度、与天然表面活性剂的相互作用、在多孔介质中的沉积和生态毒性。为解决工程纳米材料大气转化方面目前信息不足的问题，提出了未来研究的潜在方向。
