Nanoparticles in aquatic systems

Nanoparticles (NP) are ubiquitous in environmental and technical aquatic systems. Understanding the role and the fate of NP in these systems is an interdisciplinary challenge requiring innovative experimental, theoretical and analytical approaches and critical reflection of classical concepts. This contribution critically reviews the outstanding properties of NP and the resulting consequences for their behaviour in environmental and technical aquatic systems considering natural NP which are mostly geogenic or biogeogenic, and engineered NP. Owing to the severe lack of data on the occurrence of NP in environmental aquatic systems, it is a key task of researchers to further develop analytical methods for the sensitive detection of NP directly in aqueous samples. There is urgent need for standardisation of analytical methods for detection and characterisation of NP, and for toxicity tests to assess possible adverse effects of NP. In this context, NP reference materials have to be defined as a common fundament for research in this field.