Characterization of the effluent from a nanosilver producing washing machine.

The increasing number of nanomaterial based consumer products raises concerns about their possible impact on the environment. This study provides an assessment of the effluent from a commercially available silver nanowashing machine. The washing machine released silver in its effluent at an average concentration of 11μgL(-1), as determined by inductive coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The presence of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was confirmed by single particle ICP-MS as well as ion selective electrode measurements and filtration techniques. Size measurements showed particles to be in the defined nanosize range, with an average size of 10nm measured with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and 60-100nm determined with nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). The effluent was shown to have negative effects on a natural bacterial community as its abundance was clearly reduced when exposed to the nanowash water. If washing machines capable of producing AgNPs become a common feature of households in the future, wastewater will contain significant loadings of AgNPs which might be released into the environment.

[1]  C. Wood,et al.  Physiological responses to acute silver exposure in the freshwater crayfish (Cambarus diogenes diogenes)—a model invertebrate? , 2002, Environmental toxicology and chemistry.

[2]  Helen P Jarvie,et al.  Fate of silica nanoparticles in simulated primary wastewater treatment. , 2009, Environmental science & technology.

[3]  C. Wood,et al.  The physiology of waterborne silver toxicity in freshwater rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) 1. The effects of ionic Ag , 1996 .

[4]  C. Degueldre,et al.  Zirconia colloid analysis by single particle inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry , 2004 .

[5]  Qasim Chaudhry,et al.  Considerations for environmental fate and ecotoxicity testing to support environmental risk assessments for engineered nanoparticles. , 2009, Journal of chromatography. A.

[6]  R. Surampalli,et al.  The inhibitory effects of silver nanoparticles, silver ions, and silver chloride colloids on microbial growth. , 2008, Water research.

[7]  P. H. Davies,et al.  Toxicity of silver to rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) , 1978 .

[8]  Jungho Hwang,et al.  Susceptibility constants of Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis to silver and copper nanoparticles. , 2007, The Science of the total environment.

[9]  David A. Jefferson.  The surface activity of ultrafine particles , 2000, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.

[10]  Claude Degueldre,et al.  Colloid analysis by single particle inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy: a feasibility study , 2003 .

[11]  Paul Westerhoff,et al.  Nanoparticle silver released into water from commercially available sock fabrics. , 2008, Environmental science & technology.

[12]  Claude Degueldre,et al.  Gold colloid analysis by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry in a single particle mode , 2006 .

[13]  J. E Hall,et al.  Sewage Sludge Production, Treatment and Disposal in the European Union , 1995 .

[14]  J. Song,et al.  Does the Antibacterial Activity of Silver Nanoparticles Depend on the Shape of the Nanoparticle? A Study of the Gram-Negative Bacterium Escherichia coli , 2007, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[15]  E. Dobolyi,et al.  Experiments aimed at the removal of phosphate by electrochemical methods , 1978 .

[16]  B. Nowack,et al.  Exposure modeling of engineered nanoparticles in the environment. , 2008, Environmental science & technology.

[17]  Y. Prairie,et al.  Flow cytometric determination of bacterial abundance in lake plankton with the green nucleic acid stain SYTO 13 , 1996 .

[18]  Arnab Roy,et al.  Characterization of enhanced antibacterial effects of novel silver nanoparticles , 2007, Nanotechnology.

[19]  C. Wood,et al.  Physiological effects of chronic silver exposure in Daphnia magna. , 2002, Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Toxicology & pharmacology : CBP.

[20]  M Boller,et al.  Synthetic TiO2 nanoparticle emission from exterior facades into the aquatic environment. , 2008, Environmental pollution.

[21]  Elisabeth Müller,et al.  Removal of oxide nanoparticles in a model wastewater treatment plant: influence of agglomeration and surfactants on clearing efficiency. , 2008, Environmental science & technology.

[22]  K. Tollefsen,et al.  Effects of silver and gold nanoparticles on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) hepatocytes. , 2010, Aquatic toxicology.

[23]  Michael Burkhardt,et al.  Release of silver nanoparticles from outdoor facades. , 2010, Environmental pollution.

[24]  Facundo Ruiz,et al.  Synthesis and antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles with different sizes , 2008 .

[25]  Jing Luo,et al.  Effects of particle composition and species on toxicity of metallic nanomaterials in aquatic organisms , 2008, Environmental toxicology and chemistry.

[26]  C. Degueldre,et al.  Uranium colloid analysis by single particle inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. , 2004, Talanta.