Toxicity of nanoparticulate and bulk ZnO, Al2O3 and TiO2 to the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Limited information is available on the environmental behavior and associated potential risk of manufactured oxide nanoparticles (NPs). In this research, toxicity of nanoparticulate and bulk ZnO, Al2O3 and TiO2 were examined to the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans with Escherichia coli as a food source. Parallel experiments with dissolved metal ions from NPs were also conducted. The 24-h median lethal concentration (LC50) and sublethal endpoints were assessed. Both NPs and their bulk counterparts were toxic, inhibiting growth and especially the reproductive capability of the nematode. The 24-h LC50 for ZnO NPs (2.3 mg L−1) and bulk ZnO was not significantly different, but significantly different between Al2O3 NPs (82 mg L−1) and bulk Al2O3 (153 mg L−1), and between TiO2 NPs (80 mg L−1) and bulk TiO2 (136 mg L−1). Oxide solubility influenced the toxicity of ZnO and Al2O3 NPs, but nanoparticle-dependent toxicity was indeed observed for the investigated NPs.