Form-Specific Prospective Environmental Risk Assessment of Graphene-Based Materials in European Freshwater.

As graphene-based materials (GBMs) such as pristine graphene, graphene oxide, and reduced graphene oxide show great potential to be integrated in various applications, the need for environmental risk assessments grows, aiming to navigate the environmental fate and potential risk of the different forms of GBM. This study used dynamic probabilistic material flow analysis (DPMFA) to ascertain the prospective production volumes and distribution of GBMs within European freshwaters. The hazard assessment leveraged 113 data sets from peer-reviewed studies, addressing aquatic ecotoxicity across 26 species, by performing probabilistic species sensitivity distributions (SSD).

Bridging the gap: Innovative human-based in vitro approaches for nanomaterials hazard assessment and their role in safe and sustainable by design, risk assessment, and life cycle assessment.

The application of nanomaterials in industry and consumer products is growing exponentially, which has pressed the development and use of predictive human in vitro models in pre-clinical analysis to closely extrapolate potential toxic effects in vivo. The conventional cytotoxicity investigation of nanomaterials using cell lines from cancer origin and culturing them two-dimensionally in a monolayer without mimicking the proper pathophysiological microenvironment may affect a precise prediction of in vitro effects at in vivo level. In recent years, complex in vitro models (also belonging to the new approach methodologies, NAMs) have been established in unicellular to multicellular cultures either by using cell lines, primary cells or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and reconstituted into relevant biological dimensions mimicking in vivo conditions.

Formation of nanoparticles during accelerated UV degradation of fleece polyester textiles.

Micro- and nanoplastics have emerged as critical pollutants in various ecosystems, posing potential environmental and human health risks. Washing of polyester textiles has been identified as one of the sources of nanoplastics. However, other stages of the textile life cycle may also release nanoparticles.

Macroplastic Fate and Transport Modeling: Freshwaters Act as Main Reservoirs.

Macroplastic fate and transport in the freshwater environment are of great concern due to the potentially harmful effects of macroplastic on plants, animals, and humans. Here, we present a modeling approach to simulate macroplastic fate and transport at the country scale based on an existing plastic release model. The fate model was parametrized through available monitoring data and results from field experiments and applied to Swiss rivers and lakes.

Generation of two isogenic iPSC lines from a healthy male donor of European ancestry.

We have created two isogenic iPSC lines from fibroblasts of a healthy male donor of European ancestry. The cell lines express common pluripotency markers, are free of chromosomal aberrations and are able to differentiate into cells of all three germ layers. These iPSC are now a resource for genome editing with the aim of creating models of genetic disorders without having to depend on patient cells.

Predicting environmental concentrations of nanomaterials for exposure assessment - a review.

There have been major advances in the science to predict the likely environmental concentrations of nanomaterials, which is a key component of exposure and subsequent risk assessment. Considerable progress has been since the first Material Flow Analyses (MFAs) in 2008, which were based on very limited information, to more refined current tools that take into account engineered nanoparticle (ENP) size distribution, form, dynamic release, and better-informed release factors. These MFAs provide input for all environmental fate models (EFMs), that generate estimates of particle flows and concentrations in various environmental compartments.

The Mediator kinase module enhances polymerase activity to regulate transcriptional memory after heat stress in Arabidopsis.

Plants are often exposed to recurring adverse environmental conditions in the wild. Acclimation to high temperatures entails transcriptional responses, which prime plants to better withstand subsequent stress events. Heat stress (HS)-induced transcriptional memory results in more efficient re-induction of transcription upon recurrence of heat stress.

Learning from Safe-by-Design for Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design: Mapping the current landscape of Safe-by-Design reviews, case studies, and frameworks.

With the introduction of the European Commission's "Safe and Sustainable-by-Design" (SSbD) framework, the interest in understanding the implications of safety and sustainability assessments of chemicals, materials, and processes at early-innovation stages has skyrocketed. Our study focuses on the "Safe-by-Design" (SbD) approach from the nanomaterials sector, which predates the SSbD framework. In this assessment, SbD studies have been compiled and categorized into reviews, case studies, and frameworks.

Meta-analysis of the hazards of microplastics in freshwaters using species sensitivity distributions.

The environmental hazards of microplastics have raised concerns about their potential ecological risks. However, our understanding of the true risks may be limited because most laboratory studies used pristine microplastics. Here, we analyzed the available literature about ecotoxicological effects of microplastics, including weathered microplastics in particular, on freshwater biota and performed probabilistic species sensitivity distributions.

Characterization of fiber fragments released from polyester textiles during UV weathering.

Synthetic textiles are considered a prime source of microplastics fibers which are a prevalent shape of microplastic pollution. Whilst the release mechanisms and formation of such microplastic fibers have been so far mainly studied in connection with laundry washing, there are some studies emerging that describe also other release pathways for microplastic fibers such as abrasion during wearing. The aim of this study was to consider weathering as another process contributing to the formation of microplastic fibers and their presence in the environment.

Formation of microplastic fibers and fibrils during abrasion of a representative set of 12 polyester textiles.

Microplastic fibers (MPFs) released from synthetic textiles have been found to be a major source of microplastic in the environment. There is increasing evidence available that MPFs released during washing were likely formed during the manufacturing stage. However, real-life use of textiles is often associated with textile-on-textile abrasion, and the first evidence is available that MPFs and finer microplastic fiber fragments (fibrils) are formed during abrasion.

Transgenerational mass balance and tissue distribution of PCBs and PCDD/Fs from grass silage and soil into cow-calf continuum.

Grass-based suckling beef-derived foods occasionally exceed regulatory levels for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). Ensuring chemical safety requires understanding the cow-calf transgenerational PCB and PCDD/F fate. The current focus was on dairy cows, omitting transgenerational fate and suckling beef-related physiological effects.

Evaluation of fiber and debris release from protective COVID-19 mask textiles and in vitro acute cytotoxicity effects.

Since the start of the current COVID-19 pandemic, for the first time a significant fraction of the world's population cover their respiratory system for an extended period with mostly medical facemasks and textile masks. This new situation raises questions about the extent of mask related debris (fibers and particles) being released and inhaled and possible adverse effects on human health. This study aimed to quantify the debris release from a textile-based facemask in comparison to a surgical mask and a reference cotton textile using both liquid and air extraction.

Approach toward -Based Human Toxicity Effect Factors for the Life Cycle Impact Assessment of Inhaled Low-Solubility Particles.

Today's scarcity of animal toxicological data for nanomaterials could be lifted by substituting data with data to calculate nanomaterials' effect factors (EF) for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Here, we present a step-by-step procedure to calculate -to- extrapolation factors to estimate human Benchmark Doses and subsequently -based EFs for several inhaled nonsoluble nanomaterials. Based on mouse data, the -based EF of TiO is between 2.

Integrated dynamic probabilistic material flow analysis of engineered materials in all European countries.

Uncertainties remain regarding the potential environmental risks of engineered nanomaterials, reflecting missing information on both the exposure and the hazard sides. Probabilistic material flow analysis (PMFA) is a useful exposure assessment tool that maps the flows of a substance through its lifecycle towards the environment, taking into account the uncertainties associated with the input data. In the last years, several refinements have been made to the original PMFA method, increasing its complexity with respect to systems dynamics, fate during recycling and reprocessing and forms of release.

Combined in vitro-in vivo dosimetry enables the extrapolation of in vitro doses to human exposure levels: A proof of concept based on a meta-analysis of in vitro and in vivo titanium dioxide toxicity data.

Evaluating the potential risks of nanomaterials on human health is fundamental to assure their safety. To do so, Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) relies mostly on animal studies to provide information about nanomaterials toxicity. The scarcity of such data, due to the shift of the nanotoxicology field away from a phenomenological, animal-based approach and towards a mechanistic understanding based on in vitro studies, represents a challenge for HHRA.

Tire wear particle emissions: Measurement data where are you?

Tire wear particle (TWP) emissions are gaining more attention since they are considered to contribute a major share to the overall microplastic emissions and are suspected to be harmful to flora, fauna and humans. Hence, recent studies derived country-based TWP emissions to better understand the significance of the problem using either tire emission factors (EF) or a material flow analysis (MFA) of tires. However, all 14 country-based TWP emission studies found and published since the year 2000 base their calculation on other studies rather than own measurements.

Meta-analysis of Bioaccumulation Data for Nondissolvable Engineered Nanomaterials in Freshwater Aquatic Organisms.

Understanding the bioaccumulation of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) is essential for making regulatory decisions on potential environmental risks. Research in the field of ENM bioaccumulation has increased in recent years, but the compilation and statistical analysis of the available experimental data have not been updated. We therefore performed a meta-analysis of the existing literature on the bioaccumulation of eight types of nondissolvable ENMs (titanium dioxide [TiO ], aluminum oxide [Al O ], gold [Au], fullerene [C ], carbon nanotubes, iron oxide [FeO ], graphene, and polystyrene) in nonmammalian freshwater aquatic organisms across three trophic levels including phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish.

Accumulation and decontamination kinetics of PCBs and PCDD/Fs from grass silage and soil in a transgenerational cow-calf setting.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) are bioaccumulative pollutants that endanger bovine food safety. Bioaccumulation depends, among others, on the physiological dynamics of the cow's reproductive cycle. However, recent studies have focused only on near steady-state situations.

Characterization of Nanoplastics, Fibrils, and Microplastics Released during Washing and Abrasion of Polyester Textiles.

Nanoplastics (defined here as plastic particles smaller than 1000 nm) released during the daily use of plastic products are gaining increasing attention due to their potential effects on human and environmental health. Formation of nanoplastics has been reported so far for diverse plastic products under varying conditions of use. The washing of synthetic textiles has been identified as an important source of microplastic fibers (MPF) released to the environment.