Ecotoxicological effects of carbon nanotubes: quantification, methodological considerations, and general trends

Published

July 22, 2013

Author(s)

Elijah J. Petersen

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes are an important class of nanoparticles with a broad range of potential applications such as in polymer nanocomposites, flame resistant textiles and fabrics, biomedical approaches, and environmental applications. One limitation to the commercialization of products containing carbon nanotubes is a thorough understanding of the potential risks they may pose to humans and organisms in the environment after their inadvertent or intentional release into ecosystems. The focus of this chapter is on the potential ecotoxicological risks of carbon nanotubes. While much was speculated about this topic and the ecotoxicity of all nanoparticles in the first review papers nearly a decade ago, a substantial research effort has made progress toward answering these questions in recent years. Topics discussed in this chapter include quantification of carbon nanotubes in environmentally relevant media such as soils, sediments, water, and organisms, methodological considerations for ecotoxicity testing, two important trends in the results obtained to date (namely, the lack of absorption into systemic circulation for most organisms except for plants and the low toxicity of carbon nanotubes in soils and sediments), and potential topics for future research.

Citation

Health and environmental risks of nanomaterials

Publisher Info

WoodHead Publishing, Cambridge, -1

Pub Type

Books

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Citation

Petersen, E. (2013), Ecotoxicological effects of carbon nanotubes: quantification, methodological considerations, and general trends, WoodHead Publishing, Cambridge, -1, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=911786 (Accessed April 29, 2026)

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