Effects of water chemistry on the dissolution of ZnO nanoparticles and their toxicity to Escherichia coli
2013
Li, Mei | Lin, Daohui | Zhu, Lizhong
The dissolution of ZnO nanoparticles (nano-ZnO) plays an important role in the toxicity of nano-ZnO to the aquatic organisms. The effects of water chemistry such as pH, ionic components, and dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the dissolution of nano-ZnO and its toxicity to Escherichia coli (E. coli) were investigated in synthetic and natural water samples. The results showed that the toxicity of nano-ZnO to E. coli depended on not only free Zn2+ but also the coexisting cations which could reduce the toxicity of Zn2+. Increasing solution pH, HPO42−, and DOM reduced the concentration of free Zn2+ released from nano-ZnO, and thus lowered the toxicity of nano-ZnO. In addition, both Ca2+ and Mg2+ dramatically reduced the toxicity of Zn2+ to E. coli. These results highlight the importance of water chemistry on the toxicity evaluation of nano-ZnO in natural waters.
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