Nanopesticides: State of Knowledge, Environmental Fate, and Exposure Modeling
- Author(s)
- Mélanie Kah, Sabine Beulke, Karen Tiede, Thilo Hofmann
- Abstract
Published literature has been reviewed in order to (i) explore the (potential) applications of nano-technology in pesticide formulation, (ii) identify possible impacts on environmental fate and (iii) analyse the suitability of current exposure assessment procedures to account for the novel properties of nano-pesticides within the EU regulatory context. The term nano-pesticide covers a wide variety of products and cannot be considered to represent a single category. Many nano-formulations combine several surfactants, polymers, and metal nano-particles in the nm size range. The aims of nano-formulations are generally common to other pesticide formulations, these being to increase the apparent solubility of poorly soluble active ingredients, to release the active ingredient in a slow/targeted manner and/or to protect against premature degradation. Nano-formulations are thus expected (i) to have significant impacts on the fate of active ingredients and/or (ii) to introduce new ingredients for which the environmental fate is still poorly understood (e.g. nano-silver). Therefore, it seems that adaptations of current exposure assessment approaches will be necessary, at least for some nano-pesticides. The present analysis provides a useful framework to identify priorities for future research in order to achieve more robust risk assessments of nano-pesticides.
- Organisation(s)
- External organisation(s)
- Science City York, Central Science Laboratory
- Journal
- Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology
- Volume
- 43
- Pages
- 1823-1867
- No. of pages
- 45
- ISSN
- 1064-3389
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1080/10643389.2012.671750
- Publication date
- 2013
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 210006 Nanotechnology, 104002 Analytical chemistry, 104023 Environmental chemistry, 105904 Environmental research
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/66fadaf4-1c9d-49c2-bfe9-de0f7c273142