| 1. |
- Kukkonen, J., et al.
(författare)
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Towards a Comprehensive Evaluation of the Environmental and Health Impacts of Shipping Emissions
- 2022
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Ingår i: Springer Proceedings in Complexity. - Cham : Springer International Publishing. - 2213-8684 .- 2213-8692. ; , s. 329-336
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a new concept for marine research, applied in the EU-funded project EMERGE, “Evaluation, control and Mitigation of the EnviRonmental impacts of shippinG Emissions” (2020–2024; https://emerge-h2020.eu/ ). For the first time, both the various marine and atmospheric impacts of the shipping sector have been and will be comprehensively analyzed, using a concerted modelling and measurements framework. The experimental part of the project focuses on five European geographical case studies in different ecologically vulnerable regions, and a mobile onboard case study. The EMERGE consortium has also developed a harmonised and integrated modelling framework to assess the combined impacts of shipping emissions, both (i) on the marine ecosystems and (ii) the atmospheric environment. The first results include substantial refinements of a range of models to be applied, especially those for the STEAM and OpenDrift models. In particular, the STEAM (Ship Traffic Emission Assessment Model) model has been extended to allow for the effects of atmospheric and oceanographic factors on the fuel consumption and emissions of the ships. The OpenDrift model has been improved to take into account the partitioning, degradation, and volatilization of pollutants in water. The predicted emission and discharge values have been used as input for both regional scale atmospheric dispersion models, such as WRF-CMAQ (Weather Research and Forecasting—Community Multiscale Air Quality Model) and SILAM (System for Integrated modeLling of Atmospheric composition), and water quality and circulation models, such as OpenDrift (Open source model for the drifting of substances in the ocean) and Delft3D (oceanographic model). The case study regions are Eastern Mediterranean, Northern Adriatic Sea, the Lagoon of Aveiro, the Solent Strait and the Öresund Strait. We have also conducted a substantial part of the experimental campaigns scheduled in the project. The final assessment will include the benefits and costs of control and mitigation options affecting water quality, air pollution exposure, health impacts, climate forcing, and ecotoxicological effects and bioaccumulation of pollutants in marine biota.
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| 2. |
- Praetorius, A., et al.
(författare)
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Strategies for determining heteroaggregation attachment efficiencies of engineered nanoparticles in aquatic environments
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Science-Nano. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2051-8153 .- 2051-8161. ; 7:2, s. 351-367
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Heteroaggregation of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) with suspended particulate matter (SPM) ubiquitous in natural waters often dominates the transport behaviour and overall fate of ENPs in aquatic environments. In order to provide meaningful exposure predictions and support risk assessment for ENPs, environmental fate and transport models require quantitative information about this process, typically in the form of the so-called attachment efficiency for heteroaggregation alpha(hetero). The inherent complexity of heteroaggregation-encompassing at least two different particle populations, various aggregation pathways and several possible attachment efficiencies (alpha values)-makes its theoretical and experimental determination challenging. In this frontier review we assess the current state of knowledge on heteroaggregation of ENPs with a focus on natural surface waters. A theoretical analysis presents relevant equations, outlines the possible aggregation pathways and highlights different types of alpha. In a second part, experimental approaches to study heteroaggregation and derive alpha values are reviewed and three possible strategies are identified: i) monitoring changes in size, ii) monitoring number or mass distribution and iii) studying indirect effects, such as sedimentation. It becomes apparent that the complexity of heteroaggregation creates various challenges and no single best method for its assessment has been developed yet. Nevertheless, many promising strategies have been identified and meaningful data can be derived from carefully designed experiments when accounting for the different concurrent aggregation pathways and clearly stating the type of alpha reported. For future method development a closer connection between experiments and models is encouraged.
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| 3. |
- Giubilato, E, et al.
(författare)
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Risk Management Framework for Nano-Biomaterials Used in Medical Devices and Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products
- 2020
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Ingår i: Materials (Basel, Switzerland). - : MDPI AG. - 1996-1944. ; 13:20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The convergence of nanotechnology and biotechnology has led to substantial advancements in nano-biomaterials (NBMs) used in medical devices (MD) and advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP). However, there are concerns that applications of NBMs for medical diagnostics, therapeutics and regenerative medicine could also pose health and/or environmental risks since the current understanding of their safety is incomplete. A scientific strategy is therefore needed to assess all risks emerging along the life cycles of these products. To address this need, an overarching risk management framework (RMF) for NBMs used in MD and ATMP is presented in this paper, as a result of a collaborative effort of a team of experts within the EU Project BIORIMA and with relevant inputs from external stakeholders. The framework, in line with current regulatory requirements, is designed according to state-of-the-art approaches to risk assessment and management of both nanomaterials and biomaterials. The collection/generation of data for NBMs safety assessment is based on innovative integrated approaches to testing and assessment (IATA). The framework can support stakeholders (e.g., manufacturers, regulators, consultants) in systematically assessing not only patient safety but also occupational (including healthcare workers) and environmental risks along the life cycle of MD and ATMP. The outputs of the framework enable the user to identify suitable safe(r)-by-design alternatives and/or risk management measures and to compare the risks of NBMs to their (clinical) benefits, based on efficacy, quality and cost criteria, in order to inform robust risk management decision-making.
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| 4. |
- Callegaro, S., et al.
(författare)
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Effects of alginate on stability and ecotoxicity of nano-TiO2 in artificial seawater LLER CL, 1993, COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTSSYMP ON
- 2015
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Ingår i: Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. - : Elsevier BV. - 0147-6513. ; 117, s. 107-114
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The large-scale use of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) in consumer and industrial applications raised environmental health and safety concerns. Potentially impacted ecosystems include estuarine and coastal organisms. Results from ecotoxicological studies with nano-TiO2 dispersed in salt exposure media are difficult to interpret due to fast flocculation and sedimentation phenomena affecting the dispersion stability. The goal of this study was to investigate the stabilisation effect of alginate on uncoated nano-TiO2 in artificial seawater dispersions used in ecotoxicity bioassays. The most effective stabilisation was obtained at alginate concentration of 0.45 g/L after sonicating dispersions for 20 min (100 W). The size distribution remained constant after re-suspension, indicating that no agglomeration occurred after deposition. Ecotoxicity tests on Anemia franciscana and Phaeodactylum tricornutum did not show any adverse effects related to the presence of alginate in the exposure media, and provided evidence on possible reduced bioavailability of nano-TiO2. The suitable concentration of alginate is recommended to occur on a case-by-case basis. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 5. |
- Corsi, I., et al.
(författare)
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Common Strategies and Technologies for the Ecosafety Assessment and Design of Nanomaterials Entering the Marine Environment
- 2014
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Ingår i: Acs Nano. - 1936-0851. ; 8:10, s. 9694-9709
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The widespread use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in a variety of technologies and consumer products inevitably causes their release into aquatic environments and final deposition into the oceans. In addition, a growing number of ENM products are being developed specifically for marine applications, such as antifouling coatings and environmental remediation systems, thus increasing the need to address any potential risks for marine organisms and ecosystems. To safeguard the marine environment, major scientific gaps related to assessing and designing ecosafe ENMs need to be filled. In this Nano Focus, we examine key issues related to the state-of-the-art models and analytical tools being developed to understand ecological risks and to design safeguards for marine organisms.
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| 6. |
- Munari, M., et al.
(författare)
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Genotoxic effects of CdS quantum dots and Ag2S nanoparticles in fish cell lines (RTG-2)
- 2014
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Ingår i: Mutation Research-Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis. - : Elsevier BV. - 1383-5718. ; 775-776, s. 89-93
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The increasing use of nanotechnologies will lead to significant releases of engineered nanoparticles into the aquatic environment, where their impact is still poorly characterized. In the present paper, the genotoxic and cytotoxic properties of CdS quantum dots (QDs) and silver sulphide (Ag2S) coated with methyl polyethylene glycol (M-PEG) were investigated in a rainbow trout cell line (RTG-2). The results showed that CdS QDs were highly cytotoxic at high concentrations (10 and 50 mu g/ml), and exhibited a concentration-dependent genotoxicity in the sub-toxic range (0.01-1 mu g/ml) after 24h exposure. Ag2S showed neither genotoxic nor cytotoxic effects. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 7. |
- Badetti, Elena, et al.
(författare)
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Novel multimethod approach for the determination of the colloidal stability of nanomaterials in complex environmental mixtures using a global stability index: TiO2 as case study
- 2021
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697. ; 801
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A systematic study on the colloidal behavior of uncoated and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) coated TiO2 engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in simulated aqueous media is herein reported, in which conditions representative for natural waters (pH, presence of divalent electrolytes (i.e. Ca2+/Mg2+ and SO42−), of natural organic matter (NOM) and of suspended particulate matter (SPM)) were systematically varied. The colloidal stability of the different dispersions was investigated by means of Dynamic and Electrophoretic Light Scattering (DLS and ELS) and Centrifugal Separation Analysis (CSA), and a global stability index based on these three techniques was developed. The index allows to quantitatively classify the nano-based dispersions according to their colloidal stability affected by the different parameters studied. This multimethod approach clearly identifies inorganic SPM followed by divalent electrolytes as the main natural components destabilizing TiO2 ENMs upon entering in simulated natural waters, while it highlights a moderate stabilization induced by NOM, depending mainly on pH. Moreover, the PVP coating was found to attenuate the influence of these parameters on the colloidal stability. The obtained results show how the global stability index developed is influenced by the complexity of the system, suggesting the importance of combining the information gathered from all the techniques employed to better elucidate the fate and behavior of ENMs in natural surface waters.
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| 8. |
- Brian, Jayne V, et al.
(författare)
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Accurate prediction of the response of freshwater fish to a mixture of estrogenic chemicals.
- 2005
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Ingår i: Environmental health perspectives. - 0091-6765. ; 113:6, s. 721-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Existing environmental risk assessment procedures are limited in their ability to evaluate the combined effects of chemical mixtures. We investigated the implications of this by analyzing the combined effects of a multicomponent mixture of five estrogenic chemicals using vitellogenin induction in male fathead minnows as an end point. The mixture consisted of estradiol, ethynylestradiol, nonylphenol, octylphenol, and bisphenol A. We determined concentration-response curves for each of the chemicals individually. The chemicals were then combined at equipotent concentrations and the mixture tested using fixed-ratio design. The effects of the mixture were compared with those predicted by the model of concentration addition using biomathematical methods, which revealed that there was no deviation between the observed and predicted effects of the mixture. These findings demonstrate that estrogenic chemicals have the capacity to act together in an additive manner and that their combined effects can be accurately predicted by concentration addition. We also explored the potential for mixture effects at low concentrations by exposing the fish to each chemical at one-fifth of its median effective concentration (EC50). Individually, the chemicals did not induce a significant response, although their combined effects were consistent with the predictions of concentration addition. This demonstrates the potential for estrogenic chemicals to act additively at environmentally relevant concentrations. These findings highlight the potential for existing environmental risk assessment procedures to underestimate the hazard posed by mixtures of chemicals that act via a similar mode of action, thereby leading to erroneous conclusions of absence of risk.
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| 9. |
- Buchecker, M., et al.
(författare)
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The role of risk perception in making flood risk management more effective
- 2013
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Ingår i: Natural hazards and earth system sciences. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1561-8633 .- 1684-9981. ; 13, s. 3013-3030
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Over the last few decades, Europe has suffered from a number of severe flood events and, as a result, there has been a growing interest in probing alternative approaches to managing flood risk via prevention measures. A literature review reveals that, although in the last decades risk evaluation has been recognized as key element of risk management, and risk assessment methodologies (including risk analysis and evaluation) have been improved by including social, economic, cultural, historical and political conditions, the theoretical schemes are not yet applied in practice. One main reason for this shortcoming is that risk perception literature is mainly of universal and theoretical nature and cannot provide the necessary details to implement a comprehensive risk evaluation. This paper therefore aims to explore a procedure that allows the inclusion of stakeholders' perceptions of prevention measures in risk assessment. It proposes to adopt methods of risk communication (both one-way and two-way communication) in risk assessment with the final aim of making flood risk management more effective. The proposed procedure not only focuses on the effect of discursive risk communication on risk perception, and on achieving a shared assessment of the prevention alternatives, but also considers the effects of the communication process on perceived uncertainties, accepted risk levels, and trust in the managing institutions.The effectiveness of this combined procedure has been studied and illustrated using the example of the participatory flood prevention assessment process on the Sihl River in Zurich, Switzerland. The main findings of the case study suggest that the proposed procedure performed well, but that it needs some adaptations for it to be applicable in different contexts and to allow a (semi-) quantitative estimation of risk perception to be used as an indicator of adaptive capacity.
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
- Picone, Marco, et al.
(författare)
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Impacts of exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) discharge waters on planktonic biological indicators
- 2023
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Ingår i: Marine Pollution Bulletin. - : Elsevier BV. - 0025-326X .- 1879-3363. ; 190
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS), operating in open-loop mode, continuously release acidic effluents (scrubber waters) to marine waters. Furthermore, scrubber waters contain high concentrations of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and alkylated PAHs, potentially affecting the plankton in the receiving waters. Toxicity tests evidenced significant impairments in planktonic indicators after acute, early-life stage, and long-term exposures to scrubber water produced by a vessel operating with high sulphur fuel. Acute effects on bacterial bioluminescence (Aliivibrio fischeri), algal growth (Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Dunaliella tertiolecta), and copepod survival (Acartia tonsa) were evident at 10 % and 20 % scrubber water, while larval development in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) showed a 50 % reduction at ∼5 % scrubber water. Conversely, larval development and reproductive success of A. tonsa were severely affected at scrubber water concentrations ≤1.1 %, indicating the risk of severe impacts on copepod populations which in turn may result in impairment of the whole food web.
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