Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ECOWIZARD (EcoWizard: innovative nanomaterials require ecologically based safety assessment)
Reporting period: 2022-11-01 to 2024-04-30
Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are widely used, and nanotechnological innovations grow with rapid pace. Studies on nanotoxicology have demonstrated that chemical toxicology as well as particle toxicology should be accounted for in predicting the safety of ENMs; and no simple correlation between toxic responses and mass, nanoparticle size or any other particle characteristic is found. Effects often occur only after long-term exposure, whereas evidence of acute toxicity induced by ENMs is limited. Hence, current hazard assessment lacks accurate approaches to assess the safety of ENMs at species level. More importantly, it does not account for knowledge on how ENMs affect species relationships. To overcome these problems, within my project I address 2 key gaps:
1) The current lack of understanding of the chronic effects of ENMs at environmentally relevant conditions at the individual species level as well as at higher ecological levels including considerations of species interactions.
2) The current lack of transferability of dose and response knowledge allowing to extrapolation towards untested (advanced) ENMs and untested species.
The EcoWizard project aims to acquire fundamental and generalizable insights into the chronic effects on species and species interactions induced by long-term exposure to (advanced) ENMs at environmentally relevant conditions. My ambitious aim is to combine lab-based experiments and field-realistic mesocosm experiments in tandem with eco physiological modelling and ecological modelling. Results obtained during this project will ultimately break new grounds by providing the first fundamental insights into the chronic impacts of ENMs on organisms and species interactions, explicitly accounting for the ‘ecology’ in ecotoxicology.
The project results will generate the backbone of new ecological-based models that allow to quantify the environmental impact of newly developed ENMs and that are broadly applicable to other ecosystems.
1) The current lack of understanding of the chronic effects of ENMs at environmentally relevant conditions at the individual species level as well as at higher ecological levels including considerations of species interactions.
2) The current lack of transferability of dose and response knowledge allowing to extrapolation towards untested (advanced) ENMs and untested species.
The EcoWizard project aims to acquire fundamental and generalizable insights into the chronic effects on species and species interactions induced by long-term exposure to (advanced) ENMs at environmentally relevant conditions. My ambitious aim is to combine lab-based experiments and field-realistic mesocosm experiments in tandem with eco physiological modelling and ecological modelling. Results obtained during this project will ultimately break new grounds by providing the first fundamental insights into the chronic impacts of ENMs on organisms and species interactions, explicitly accounting for the ‘ecology’ in ecotoxicology.
The project results will generate the backbone of new ecological-based models that allow to quantify the environmental impact of newly developed ENMs and that are broadly applicable to other ecosystems.
For all work packages (WP1 – WP5) activities have taken place. As described in the financial report (M18) the main focus was on performing experiments within the outdoor facility at species and at community level. As well as that data was collected from secondary literature enabling to create databases and write reviews.
Within the months (M18-M30) these samples collected are processed at the laboratory for physico-chemical analyses, colloidal properties characteristics and community response measurements. At the same time a lot of modelling exercises were executed.
A huge comparative experiment was designed and executed making use of the same advanced materials in WP 1 and WP2. For this we have chosen to work on nanomaterial-based pesticide formulations (i.e. nano-pesticides). These nano-based pesticides are increasingly gaining attention as potential aids in the transition towards more sustainable agricultural production systems. To date, few studies have experimentally evaluated possible non-target effects resulting from exposure to nano-pesticides, and even fewer have approached this topic using higher tiered experimental setups.
See image: ERC_EcoWizard_Images attached to the Summary for Publication_LQ.png
See image: EcoWizard_schematic.png
Within the months (M18-M30) these samples collected are processed at the laboratory for physico-chemical analyses, colloidal properties characteristics and community response measurements. At the same time a lot of modelling exercises were executed.
A huge comparative experiment was designed and executed making use of the same advanced materials in WP 1 and WP2. For this we have chosen to work on nanomaterial-based pesticide formulations (i.e. nano-pesticides). These nano-based pesticides are increasingly gaining attention as potential aids in the transition towards more sustainable agricultural production systems. To date, few studies have experimentally evaluated possible non-target effects resulting from exposure to nano-pesticides, and even fewer have approached this topic using higher tiered experimental setups.
See image: ERC_EcoWizard_Images attached to the Summary for Publication_LQ.png
See image: EcoWizard_schematic.png
Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are widely used, and nanotechnological innovations grow with rapid pace. Studies on nanotoxicology have demonstrated that chemical toxicology as well as particle toxicology should be accounted for in predicting the safety of ENMs; and no simple correlation between toxic responses and mass, nanoparticle size or any other particle characteristic is found. Effects often occur only after long-term exposure, whereas evidence of acute toxicity induced by ENMs is limited. Hence, current hazard assessment lacks accurate approaches to assess the safety of ENMs at species level. More importantly, it does not account for knowledge on how ENMs affect species relationships. To overcome these problems, within my project I address 2 key gaps:
1) The current lack of understanding of the chronic effects of ENMs at environmentally relevant conditions at the individual species level as well as at higher ecological levels including considerations of species interactions.
2) The current lack of transferability of dose and response knowledge allowing to extrapolation towards untested (advanced) ENMs and untested species.
The EcoWizard project aims to acquire fundamental and generalizable insights into the chronic effects on species and species interactions induced by long-term exposure to (advanced) ENMs at environmentally relevant conditions. My ambitious aim is to combine lab-based experiments and field-realistic mesocosm experiments in tandem with eco physiological modelling and ecological modelling. Results obtained during this project will ultimately break new grounds by providing the first fundamental insights into the chronic impacts of ENMs on organisms and species interactions, explicitly accounting for the ‘ecology’ in ecotoxicology.
The project results will generate the backbone of new ecological-based models that allow to quantify the environmental impact of newly developed ENMs and that are broadly applicable to other ecosystems.
1) The current lack of understanding of the chronic effects of ENMs at environmentally relevant conditions at the individual species level as well as at higher ecological levels including considerations of species interactions.
2) The current lack of transferability of dose and response knowledge allowing to extrapolation towards untested (advanced) ENMs and untested species.
The EcoWizard project aims to acquire fundamental and generalizable insights into the chronic effects on species and species interactions induced by long-term exposure to (advanced) ENMs at environmentally relevant conditions. My ambitious aim is to combine lab-based experiments and field-realistic mesocosm experiments in tandem with eco physiological modelling and ecological modelling. Results obtained during this project will ultimately break new grounds by providing the first fundamental insights into the chronic impacts of ENMs on organisms and species interactions, explicitly accounting for the ‘ecology’ in ecotoxicology.
The project results will generate the backbone of new ecological-based models that allow to quantify the environmental impact of newly developed ENMs and that are broadly applicable to other ecosystems.