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Review
. 2021 Nov 1;9(11):284.
doi: 10.3390/toxics9110284.

Effects of Co-Exposure of Nanoparticles and Metals on Different Organisms: A Review

Yasmina M Abd-Elhakim  1 , Mohamed M Hashem  2 , Khaled Abo-El-Sooud  2 , Bayan A Hassan  3 , Khlood M Elbohi  1 , Adham A Al-Sagheer  4
Affiliations
Review

Effects of Co-Exposure of Nanoparticles and Metals on Different Organisms: A Review

Yasmina M Abd-Elhakim et al. Toxics. .

Abstract

Wide nanotechnology applications and the commercialization of consumer products containing engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have increased the release of nanoparticles (NPs) to the environment. Titanium dioxide, aluminum oxide, zinc oxide, and silica NPs are widely implicated NPs in industrial, medicinal, and food products. Different types of pollutants usually co-exist in the environment. Heavy metals (HMs) are widely distributed pollutants that could potentially co-occur with NPs in the environment. Similar to what occurs with NPs, HMs accumulation in the environment results from anthropogenic activities, in addition to some natural sources. These pollutants remain in the environment for long periods and have an impact on several organisms through different routes of exposure in soil, water, and air. The impact on complex systems results from the interactions between NPs and HMs and the organisms. This review describes the outcomes of simultaneous exposure to the most commonly found ENMs and HMs, particularly on soil and aquatic organisms.

Keywords: bioaccumulation; co-exposure; engineered nanomaterials; environment; heavy metals; mixture toxicity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sources of titanium dioxide nanoparticles exposure, possible interactions with heavy metals, and negative effects on different organisms.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Zinc oxide nanoparticles interactions with different heavy metals.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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