Jump to Content

DeTER

DeTER: Detection, Toxicology, Environmental fate and Risk assessment of nanoparticles in the aquatic environment

Nanotechnology is an emerging technology which has the potential to impact on all aspects of life and the economy, and is expected to form the basis of several technological innovations and advances in the 21^st century. According to the Woodrow Wilson/ Virginia State Tech Nanotechnology Consumer Products Inventory 434 consumer products contain Ag Nps, representing 24% of the entire inventory making them one of the fastest growing classes of ENMs in the market place. Currently, evidence is lacking regarding the potential impact Ag Nps present in consumer products have on human health or the environment and safe levels have not been established. One of the key reasons for lack of data is the lack of available methods for measuring nanomaterials in specific environments.

This project is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

‌‌

Project Aims and Objectives:

1) To develop and implement methods for the detection, characterisation and quantification of silver nanoparticles in water.

2) To determine the toxicological properties and environmental fate of silver nanoparticles in the aquatic environment.

3) To develop risk assessment protocols which can be used to evaluate the environmental fate and likely risk from silver nanoparticles through aquatic pathways.

Research Team:

The interdisiciplinary research team is comprised of experts from a number of academic institutions acorss the island of Ireland.

National Univeristy of Ireland Galway

Dr. Dearbháile Morris

Dr. Eoin Mc Gillicuddy

Dr. Liam Morrison

Dr. Martina Prendergast

Professor Peter Dockery

Professor Martin Cormican

Athlone Institute of Technology

Dr. Andrew Fogarty

Mr. Iain Murray

University College Dublin

Dr. Enda Cummins

Mr. David Shevlin

University of Ulster

Dr. Patrick Dunlop

Communication:

Publications:

McGillicuddy, E., I. Murray , S. Kavanagh, L. Morrison, A. Fogarty, M. Prendergast, M. Cormican, P. Dockery, N. Rowan, D. Morris. Silver nanoparticles in the environment: Sources, detection and ecotoxicology. 2017. Science of the Total Environment. 575, 231-246.

Morris, D., Cormican, M. 2016. Antimicrobials and Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacteria In Wastewater. Water Online. http://wateronline.epubxp.com/i/694011-july-2016/10

Shevlin D, O’Brien N and Cummins E. 2016. Engineered Nano Silver in Aquatic Systems – Review of Natural Attenuation Processes and Subsequent Risk Concerns’ Biosystems and Food Engineering Research Review 21, 158-161.

Oral Presentations:

McGillicuddy, E., Murray, I., Kavanagh, S., Morrison, L., Fogarty, A., Cormican, M., Prendergast, M., Dockery, P., Rowan, N., Morris, D. Silver nanoparticles in the environment: an overview. In: Proceedings of Environ, Athlone, 10th – 12th April 2017

McGillicuddy, E., Morrison, L., Cormican, M., Morris, D. The capture of silver nanoparticles from suspension using activated charcoal. In: Proceedings of Environ, Athlone 10th – 12th April 2017

Murray, I., Rowan, N., Fogarty, A., Designing an ecotoxicological toolbox for silver nanoparticles in the freshwater environment. In: Proceedings of Environ, Athlone, 10th – 12th April 2017

Cormican, M., and Morris, D. 2016. Engineered Nano-particles. What do we know about risks to environment and health? ISEH 2016 (The 3rd International Symposium on Environment and Health) & ISEG 2016 (The 10th International Symposium on Environmental Geochemistry), Galway, Ireland, August 14 - 20, 2016.

Murray, I., Rowan, N., Fogarty, A. 2016. The Ecotoxicological effects of silver nanoparticles in the freshwater ecosystem: A review of existing data and experimental design. ENVIRON, University of Limerick, March 23rd and 24th, 2016.

Shevlin D, O’Brien N and Cummins E. 2016. Engineered Nano Silver in Aquatic Systems – Review of Natural Attenuation Processes and Subsequent Risk Concerns. Biosystems and Food Engineering Research Day, oral presentation, 21 March 2016

Poster Presentations:

McGillicuddy, E., Morrison, L., Cormican, M., Morris, D. Silver nanoparticle removal from aqueous samples using activated charcoal. In: Proceedings of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) conference, Brussels, Belgium, 7 – 11 May 2017

McGillicuddy, E., Morrison, L., Cormican, M., Morris, D. Charcoal as a capture material for silver nanoparticles in the aquatic environment. In: Proceedings of the European Geosciences Union General Assembly, Vienna, Austria, April 23rd -28th, 2017

McGillicuddy, E., Murray, I., Kavanagh, S., Morrison, L., Fogarty, A., Cormican, M., Prendergast, M., Dockery, P., Rowan, N., Morris, D. DeTER: Detection, Toxicology, Environmental fate and Risk assessment of nanoparticles in the aquatic environment. In: Proceedings of ENTER Final Conference, Aviero, Portugal, February 7th – 8th 2017

Morrison, L., McGillicuddy, E., Cormican, M., Morris, D. Silver nanoparticles in the environment. In: Proceedings of ENTER Final Conference, Aviero, Portugal, February 7th – 8th 2017.

McGillicuddy, E., Murray, I., Kavanagh, S., Morrison, L., Fogarty, A., Cormican, M., Prendergast, M., Dockery, P., Rowan, N., Morris, D. DeTER: Detection, Toxicology, Environmental fate and Risk assessment of nanoparticles in the aquatic environment. In: Proceedings of Ryan Institute annual research day, Galway, December 9th 2016

McGillicuddy, E., Murray, I., Kavanagh, S., Morrison, L., Fogarty, A., Cormican, M., Prendergast, M., Dockery, P., Rowan, N., Morris, D. DeTER: Detection, Toxicology, Environmental fate and Risk assessment of nanoparticles in the aquatic environment. In: Proceedings of HSE-EPA Environment & Health Conference, Dublin, November 30th 2016

Shevlin, D. (2016) Fate and Behaviour of Metallic Engineered Nanomaterials in Aquatic Environments. Poster presentation at: Q-Safe ERAMUS research program 2016, March 14, 2016, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Outreach: