A life cycle risk assessment of nanopesticides in freshwater
Conventional ecological risk assessments prioritize downstream anthropogenic impacts, overlooking risks arising from upstream processes involving highly hazardous substances and indirect emissions. This narrow focus obscures high-risk hotspots and renders traditional methodologies ill-suited for eva...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Environmental Science and Ecotechnology |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666498425000432 |
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| author | Mingyan Ke Keshuo Zhang Andrea L. Hicks Fan Wu Jing You |
| author_facet | Mingyan Ke Keshuo Zhang Andrea L. Hicks Fan Wu Jing You |
| author_sort | Mingyan Ke |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Conventional ecological risk assessments prioritize downstream anthropogenic impacts, overlooking risks arising from upstream processes involving highly hazardous substances and indirect emissions. This narrow focus obscures high-risk hotspots and renders traditional methodologies ill-suited for evaluating novel chemical entities. Nanopesticides, designed for targeted delivery of pesticidal active ingredients, are increasingly deployed to enhance efficiency, yet their altered environmental fate and transport dynamics may reshape end-of-life risks while their full lifecycle impacts remain uncharacterized. Here, we address this gap using imidacloprid (IMI) and its nano-encapsulated variant (nano-IMI) as case studies. By applying life cycle assessment and integrating the USEtox ecotoxicity model with the nano-specific SimpleBox4Nano framework, we quantify ''cradle-to-gate'' environmental impacts and derive substance-specific ecotoxicity metrics, enabling systematic characterization of end-of-life risks associated with these formulations. Production-stage ecological risks of nano-IMI (4.63 × 103 CTUe) are approximately four times greater than those for conventional IMI (1.18 × 103 CTUe). However, end-of-life freshwater ecological risks from nano-IMI emissions (0.012–6.93 × 104 CTUe) are 2–5 orders of magnitude lower compared with IMI (1.59 × 103–6.13 × 106 CTUe), accounting for rainfall variability, toxicity data selection, fate, and environmental transport scenarios. Under equivalent rainfall conditions, nano-IMI exhibited up to three orders of magnitude lower integrated life-cycle freshwater ecological risks, underscoring its potential as an environmentally preferable alternative to conventional IMI. This research introduces a comprehensive and novel methodology for evaluating engineered nanomaterial alternatives across realistic environmental scenarios, providing essential insights into nanopesticide risk assessment throughout their lifecycle. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a33c0599d6d54c97a26fa09c5c8d93fe |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2666-4984 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Science and Ecotechnology |
| spelling | doaj-art-a33c0599d6d54c97a26fa09c5c8d93fe2025-06-27T05:52:24ZengElsevierEnvironmental Science and Ecotechnology2666-49842025-05-0125100565A life cycle risk assessment of nanopesticides in freshwaterMingyan Ke0Keshuo Zhang1Andrea L. Hicks2Fan Wu3Jing You4College of Environment and Climate, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, ChinaCollege of Environment and Climate, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, ChinaDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USACollege of Environment and Climate, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, China; Corresponding author.College of Environment and Climate, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 511443, ChinaConventional ecological risk assessments prioritize downstream anthropogenic impacts, overlooking risks arising from upstream processes involving highly hazardous substances and indirect emissions. This narrow focus obscures high-risk hotspots and renders traditional methodologies ill-suited for evaluating novel chemical entities. Nanopesticides, designed for targeted delivery of pesticidal active ingredients, are increasingly deployed to enhance efficiency, yet their altered environmental fate and transport dynamics may reshape end-of-life risks while their full lifecycle impacts remain uncharacterized. Here, we address this gap using imidacloprid (IMI) and its nano-encapsulated variant (nano-IMI) as case studies. By applying life cycle assessment and integrating the USEtox ecotoxicity model with the nano-specific SimpleBox4Nano framework, we quantify ''cradle-to-gate'' environmental impacts and derive substance-specific ecotoxicity metrics, enabling systematic characterization of end-of-life risks associated with these formulations. Production-stage ecological risks of nano-IMI (4.63 × 103 CTUe) are approximately four times greater than those for conventional IMI (1.18 × 103 CTUe). However, end-of-life freshwater ecological risks from nano-IMI emissions (0.012–6.93 × 104 CTUe) are 2–5 orders of magnitude lower compared with IMI (1.59 × 103–6.13 × 106 CTUe), accounting for rainfall variability, toxicity data selection, fate, and environmental transport scenarios. Under equivalent rainfall conditions, nano-IMI exhibited up to three orders of magnitude lower integrated life-cycle freshwater ecological risks, underscoring its potential as an environmentally preferable alternative to conventional IMI. This research introduces a comprehensive and novel methodology for evaluating engineered nanomaterial alternatives across realistic environmental scenarios, providing essential insights into nanopesticide risk assessment throughout their lifecycle.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666498425000432NanopesticideRisk assessmentLife cycle assessmentCharacterization factorImpact score |
| spellingShingle | Mingyan Ke Keshuo Zhang Andrea L. Hicks Fan Wu Jing You A life cycle risk assessment of nanopesticides in freshwater Environmental Science and Ecotechnology Nanopesticide Risk assessment Life cycle assessment Characterization factor Impact score |
| title | A life cycle risk assessment of nanopesticides in freshwater |
| title_full | A life cycle risk assessment of nanopesticides in freshwater |
| title_fullStr | A life cycle risk assessment of nanopesticides in freshwater |
| title_full_unstemmed | A life cycle risk assessment of nanopesticides in freshwater |
| title_short | A life cycle risk assessment of nanopesticides in freshwater |
| title_sort | life cycle risk assessment of nanopesticides in freshwater |
| topic | Nanopesticide Risk assessment Life cycle assessment Characterization factor Impact score |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666498425000432 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mingyanke alifecycleriskassessmentofnanopesticidesinfreshwater AT keshuozhang alifecycleriskassessmentofnanopesticidesinfreshwater AT andrealhicks alifecycleriskassessmentofnanopesticidesinfreshwater AT fanwu alifecycleriskassessmentofnanopesticidesinfreshwater AT jingyou alifecycleriskassessmentofnanopesticidesinfreshwater AT mingyanke lifecycleriskassessmentofnanopesticidesinfreshwater AT keshuozhang lifecycleriskassessmentofnanopesticidesinfreshwater AT andrealhicks lifecycleriskassessmentofnanopesticidesinfreshwater AT fanwu lifecycleriskassessmentofnanopesticidesinfreshwater AT jingyou lifecycleriskassessmentofnanopesticidesinfreshwater |