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Assessment of the Ecotoxicity of Nanoplastics
Summary
This thesis evaluated methods for assessing the ecotoxicity of nanoplastics (50 nm) in aquatic environments, testing their effects on aquatic organisms under laboratory conditions. The study documented physical effects of nanoplastic ingestion in organisms from primary consumers to fish brain tissues, contributing to the development of standardized ecotoxicological testing frameworks for nanoplastics.
The presence of micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic environments (including freshwater and marine ecosystems as well as their sediments) is becoming an increasingly serious problem worldwide. A wide range of studies have addressed the ecological effects these particles pose on biota. The main exposure pathway are food chains, e.g. under laboratory conditions these particles accumulate in the brain tissues of fish that feed on zooplankton causing brain damage. These studies, however, report mainly on the physical effects. In order to establish actual ecotoxicological effects, nanoplastics (50 nm in diameter) were assessed using the Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition bioassay (VFBIA). Our results showed that even environmentally relevant concentrations might trigger ecotoxicological effects. This study can be con- sidered to be a first screening, however, results indicate the need for more complex testing on a battery of aquatic test organisms.