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nanoparticles
GlonatechAnd,"BestMarineCoatingApplicationsWithAntiacingBehaviour,"NoPublication,http://www.glonatech.com/nanotechnologyapplications/marine
coatings/
2ndgeneration
antifoulingcoatingscurrentlyavailableinthemarket.Thefoulingreleasepropertiesofthecoatingsresultfromthe
needlelikestructureofcarbonnanotubes(CNTs)thatcanfacilitatereleaseof microorganisms
responsibleforbiofouling.
ThemarinecoatingsdevelopedbyGlonatechanditspartnersdonotcontainanyharmfulforthemarineecosystembiocidesasthe
And,Nanotechnologycollapsesmarineecosystemsensuresmassive
toxicologicalpollution
Zhangetal.11(B.Zhang1,H.Misak1,P.S.Dhanasekaran1,D.Kalla2andR.Asmatulu1,1DepartmentofMechanicalEngineeringWichitaStateUniversity,
2DepartmentofEngineeringTechnology,MetropolitanStateCollegeofDenver,EnvironmentalImpactsofNanotechnologyandItsProducts,
MidwestSectionConferenceoftheAmericanSocietyforEngineeringEducation,2011,https://www.asee.org/documents/sections/midwest/2011/ASEE
MIDWEST_0030_c25dbf.pdf)//rh
Nanoparticleshavehighersurfaceareasthanthe
bulkmaterialswhich
cancausemore
damagetothehumanbodyandenvironmentcomparedtothebulkparticles.Therefore,concernforthepotentialrisktothesocietyduetonanoparticles
hasattractednationalandinternationalattentions.Nanoparticlesarenotonlybeneficialtotailorthepropertiesofpolymericcompositematerialsandenvironmentinairpollution
monitoring,butalsotohelpreducematerialconsumptionandremediation(Figure1).Forexample,carbonnanotubeandgraphenebasedcoatingshavebeendevelopedtoreduce
theweatheringeffectsoncompositesusedforwindturbinesandaircraft.GraphenehasbeenchosentobeabetternanoscaleinclusiontoreducethedegradationofUVexposure
andsalt.Byusingnanotechnologytoapplyananoscalecoatingonexistingmaterials,thematerialwilllastlongerandretaintheinitialstrengthlongerinthepresenceofsaltand
UVexposure.Carbonnanotubeshavebeenusedtoincreasetheperformanceofdatainformationsystem.However,therearefewconsiderationsofpotentialrisksneedtobe
consideredusingnanoparticles:Themajorproblemofnanomaterialsisthenanoparticleanalysismethod.Asnanotechnologyimproves,newandnovelnanomaterialsare
graduallydeveloped.However,thematerialsvarybyshapeandsizewhichareimportantfactorsindeterminingthetoxicity. Lackofinformationandmethodsof
characterizingnanomaterialsmakeexistingtechnologyextremelydifficulttodetectthe
nanoparticlesinairforenvironmentalprotection.Also,informationofthechemicalstructureisacriticalfactortodeterminehow
toxicananomaterialis,andminorchangesofchemicalfunctiongroupcoulddrasticallychangeitsproperties.Fullriskassessmentofthesafetyonhumanhealthand
environmentalimpactneedtobeevaluatedatallstagesofnanotechnology.Theriskassessmentshouldincludetheexposureriskanditsprobabilityofexposure,toxicological
analysis,transportrisk,persistencerisk,transformationriskandabilitytorecycle. Lifecycleriskassessmentisanotherfactorthatcanbeusedtopredicttheenvironmental
impacts.Goodexperimentaldesigninadvanceofmanufacturingananotechnologybasedproductcanreducethematerialwaste.Carbonnanotubeshaveapplicationsinmany
materialsformemorystorage,electronic,batteries,etc.However,some scientistshaveconcernsaboutcarbonnanotubesbecauseofunknownharmfulimpactstothehumanbody
byinhalationintolungs,andinitialdatasuggeststhatcarbonnanotubeshavesimilartoxicitytoasbestosfiber11.Lametal.andWarheitetal.studiedonpulmonarytoxicological
evaluationofsinglewallcarbonnanotubes12.FromLamsresearch,
carbonnanotubeshowedtobemoretoxicthancarbonblackandquartz
onceitreacheslung13,andWarheitfoundmultifocalgranulomaswereproducedwhenratswereexposuretosinglewallcarbonnanotubes14.Also,previousdisastersneedtobe
Thisisa
classicexampleofhownanotechnologycanharmtheenvironmenteventhoughthereare
severalpositivebenefits..Ascurrentnanoscalematerialsarebecomingsmaller,itismoredifficulttodetecttoxicnanoparticlesfromwastewhichmay
contaminatetheenvironment(Figure2).Nanoparticlesmayinteractwithenvironmentinmanyways:itmaybe
attachedtoacarrierandtransportedinundergroundwaterbybiouptake,contaminants,
ororganiccompounds.Possibleaggregationwillallowforconventionaltransportationtosensitiveenvironmentswherethenanoparticlescanbreakupinto
colloidalnanoparticles.AsDr.Colvinsaysweareconcernednotonlywithwherenanoparticlesmaybetransported,butwhattheytakewiththem16. Therearefourwaysthat
nanoparticlesornanomaterialscanbecometoxicandharmthesurroundingenvironment 17:
Hydrophobicandhydrophilicnanoparticles:Nanocoatingresearchersarecurrentlyworkingon
TiO2powder
asacoating
inclusionthatwillreducetheweatheringeffects,suchassaltraindegradationoncompositematerials.IvanaFenoglio,etal.
reanalyzedtocomparewithcurrentknowledgeaswell.Inthe1980s,asemiconductorplantcontaminatedthegroundwaterinSiliconValley,California.
18expressedtheirconcernthattheeffectofTiO2nanoparticlestobeassessedwhenleakedintotheenvironment.Mobilityofcontaminants:Therearetwogeneralmethodsthat
nanoparticlecanbeemittedintoatmosphere.19Nanoparticlesareemittedintoairdirectlyfromthesourcecalledprimaryemission,andarethemainsourceofthetotalemissions.
However,secondaryparticlesareemittednaturally,suchashomogeneousnucleationwithammoniaandsulfuricacidpresents.AsFigure2demonstratesthat
nanoparticlescaneasilybeattachedtocontaminationsandtransportedtoamoresensitive
environmentsuchasaqueousenvironments.Forexample,nuclearwastetraveledalmost1milefromanucleartestsitein30years20.However,after40yearsofthe
incidentthefirstflowmechanismmodelisbeingdevelopedtodescribethemethodsofnanoparticlebasedwastetravels21. Solubility: Nanoparticlesare
inventedanddevelopedinadvanceofthetoxicassessmentbyscientists.Manyofthe
nanoparticlesaresolubleinwater,andarehardtoseparatefromwasteifinappropriatelyhandled.Disposal:Anywasteproduct,including
nanomaterials,cancauseenvironmentalconcerns/problemsifdisposedinappropriately.
And,USmarineecosystemsarekeytostarfishtheyreakeystonespecies
andonthebrinknowdieoffspillsovertotheCaribbean,ensuresmassive
biodiversitylossandextinction
Brown14
(Desmond,InterPressService,QuotesJohnMussingtonMarineBiologist,CaribbeanFearsLossofKeystoneSpeciestoClimateChange,Apr262014,
http://www.ipsnews.net/2014/04/caribbeanfearslosskeystonespeciesclimatechange/)
massdeathsofstarfishalongtheUnitedStateswestcoastinrecentmonths
couldalsooccurintheCaribbeanregionbecauseofclimatechange,threateningthevitalfishingsector.SinceJune2013,scientistsbegannoticing
Amarinebiologisthascautionedthatthe
thatstarfish,whichtheysayfunctionaskeystonespeciesinthemarineecosystem,havebeenmysteriouslydyingbythemillions.Thecauseofthestarfishdieoffwhichistaking
placeinthePacificOceanisnotknownatthistimebutitcouldturnouttobefromanumberoffactorsincludingclimatechange,JohnMussingtontoldIPS.Ifitturnsoutthat
thesamethingcouldhappen
intheAtlanticandaffectCaribbeanspecies.Wearelivinginanerawhenthepredictedconsequencesofclimatechangearenow
reality.LargescaledieoffofcanthereforehappentousintheCaribbean,Mussingtonadded Starfishplayakeyroleinmarine
ecosystems.Theyeatmussels,barnacles,snails,mollusksandothersmallersealifesotheirhealthisconsideredameasureof
marinelifeonthewholeinagivenarea.Starfishareinturneatenbyshorebirds,gulls,andsometimesseaotters.Mussingtonexplainedthatsomething
climatechangefactorssuchasoceanwarmingareindeedimplicatedinthestarfishdieoff,thenthereisthepossibilitythat
similartowhatshappeninginCaliforniahashappenedintheregionbefore.HetoldIPSthatin1983therewasaCaribbeanwidedieoffoftheblackseaurchin,spreadingfromas
farnorthasTheBahamasrightdownthechainofislandstothesouth.ThelongspinedseaurchinwasakeystonespeciesintheCaribbeanmarineecosystem,similartothe
affectedstarfishinthePacificCaliforniaecosystem.Thedesignationaskeystoneisduetothefactthatifthereisanythingaffectingtheirlargepopulations,thenthiscanbe
interpretedasareliableindicationofproblemsintheentireecosystemthatwilllikelyaffectotherspecies,Mussingtonsaid.SomethingwentverywrongwithourCaribbean
marineecosystemin1983andtheblackseaurchinwaswipedoutthespeciesisconsideredtodaytobefunctionallyextinct.Withthedeclineofthiskeystonespecies,the
Caribbeanhasseensignificantdeclineinitscoralreefsandthemarinecommunitiestheysupport,includingeconomicallyimportantcommercialspecies.Mussingtonsaidthe
spinyurchingrazesonalgaeanditisimportanttocontrolthenumberofalgaeoncoralreefs.Habitatdegradation,specificallyofcoralreefs,hasbeencitedbynumerousstudiesas
theprimarycauseofongoingfishdeclinesofCaribbeanfishpopulationsCaribbeancoralreefshaveexperienceddrasticlossesinthepastseveraldecades.Fishusethestructureof
coralsforshelterandtheyalsocontributetocoastalprotection.Establishedresearchhaspredictedthatthecommunitieslocatedincoastalareas,aswellasnationaleconomiesin
thegeneralCaribbeanregion,arelikelytosustainsubstantialeconomiclossesshouldthecurrenttrendsincoralreefdegradationanddestructioncontinue.Ithasbeenestimated
thatfisheriesassociatedwithcoralreefintheCaribbeanregionareresponsibleforgeneratingnetannualrevenues,whichhavebeenvaluedatoraboveapproximately837million
EasternCaribbeandollars,orabout310millionU.S.dollars.Continueddegradationoftheregionsfewremainingcoralreefswoulddiminishthesenetannualrevenuesbyan
estimated95140millionU.S.dollarsannuallyby2015.ThesubsequentdecreaseindivetourismcouldalsoprofoundlyaffectannualnettourismrevenuesTherehastobesome
onceyouhaveamajorspeciesdyingoff,itsgoingtohaverepercussionsforthe
entiresystem.Wemustnotforgetthatmanisaintegralpartofthissystemandtherepercussionsforuswillbeserious,MussingtontoldIPS.Thefisheriessectorin
balanceand
theCARICOMRegionisanimportantsourceoflivelihoodsandsustenance.Thelocalpopulationishighlydependentonthisresourceforeconomicandsocialdevelopment.This
resourcealsocontributessignificantlytofoodsecurity,povertyalleviation,employment,foreignexchangeearnings,developmentandstabilityofruralandcoastalcommunities,
culture,recreationandtourism.Thesubsectorprovidesdirectemploymentformorethan120,000fishersandindirectemploymentopportunitiesforthousandsofothers
particularlywomeninprocessing,marketing,boatbuilding,netmakingandothersupportservices.ButthecoordinatorfortheUnitedNationsEnvironmentalProgrammes
The
CaribbeanSea,hometoavibrantecosystembenefittingfisherfolk,thetourismindustry
andtheregionspeoplealikeiscurrentlythreatened,hesaid,addingthatoverharvestingoffisheries,climatechangeand
CaribbeanRegionalCoordinatingUnitCaribbeanEnvironmentProgramme,NelsonAndradeColmenares,toldIPSthevitalsectorisbeingthreatenedbyclimatechange.
pollutionfromsewage,agriculturalrunoffandindustrialeffluenthasledto75percentofcoralreefsintheregionbeinglabeledasatrisk.Actingpermanentsecretaryin
Dominicasfisheriesministry,HaroldGuisteagrees,explainingthatthefutureoftheCaribbeansconchandlobsterfisheriesremainsunderthreatdespiteregionaleffortstoprotect
it.GuisteblamestheproblemofoverfishingsquarelyonnationsoutsidetheCaribbeanthattrawltheregionsseasillegally.Globallywehavenoticedarushtofishaccompanied
byalackofresponsiblebehaviourinthefishingsector,hetoldIPS.Thistypeofhooliganbehaviourhasresultedinseveredeclineinsomemajorfisheriesoftheworldand
collapseinsomeothers.TheDominicanofficialcalledforacollaborativeapproachtosafeguardagainstthedepletionoftheregionsalreadychallengedresources.Thespiny
lobstertradebringsinabout456millionUSdollarstoCARICOMnationsbutdemandhasledtooverfishingofaoncehealthystocks.Whileadmittingthatsomefactorsareout
ofourcontrolasitrelatestomitigatingagainstglobalwarming,Mussingtonsaidbothdevelopinganddevelopedcountriesneedtodomore.Weneedtodothingswhichwill
discontinuetheriseinglobaltemperaturesandthosethingsthatneedtohappenhavetodowithlessuseoffossilfuelsandmodificationofcertainthingsthatcountriesdo,hetold
IPS.Infact,thepersonswhoaregoingtobesufferingmostthepeoplelivingintheseSmallIslandDevelopingStateswearenottheonesultimatelyresponsibleinlarge
measurefortheproblemswearehavingnow,thedevelopedcountriesare.Sofarthedevelopedcountrieshavebeenveryresistanttoimplementingthosepoliciesandchanges
thatneedtohappen,Mussingtonadded.Intheend,hesaidtheannualConferenceoftheParties(COP)negotiationsshouldnotbesimplyaboutthesmallercountrieswinning.
Itsafightthattheworldhastowinifitistosurvivebecauseifthesmallstatesdontwin,
itmeansthattheglobeasawholedoesnotwin,whichmeansthatPlanetEarthwillloseoutandthehumanraceonplanetearthmight
verywellfacetotalextinction,warnedMussington.Thatswhatsfacingus.Theglobewillbecomeunlivable,headded.
And, Marine ecosystems are key -- crucial lynchpin to other ecosystems and
key to the US economy
Hourigan 99
(Thomas, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, CONSERVING OCEAN BIODIVERSITY: TRENDS AND CHALLENGES,
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/websites/retiredsites/natdia_pdf/7hourigan.pdf.)
The oceans biological diversitythe living resources that compose it and the ecological processes that
sustain itforms a foundation for the quality of human life as well as the raw materials to enrich it. Biological
diversity, or biodiversity, refers to the variety and variability among living organisms, and among the ecological complexes of which they are a
part
dependence are still unclear. As human populations increase, demands have accelerated for food, products, and services from the ocean, as
well as for living and recreational space on its shores. The primary threats to marine biodiversity are fisheries operations (both direct
overfishing and indirect fishing impactse.g., bycatch of non-target and protected species, habitat destruction by trawls and other gear or
techniques, and other ecosystem effects that may accompany fishing activities), chemical pollution and eutrophication, physical alteration of coastal
and marine habitats, invasions of exotic species, and ultraviolet-B radiation damage to phytoplankton and zooplankton resulting from
stratospheric ozone depletion (NRC 1995). Looming on the horizon is the threat of human-caused climate change with potentially major
negative effects on tourism, freshwater supplies, fisheries, and biodiversity. These factors also have been identified by the Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity2 as key threats (UNEP/CBD 1995).