Assessing the environmental risks of emerging contaminants related to new technologies remains a major challenge due to the diversity of pollutants, their complex interactions, and the limitations of conventional testing frameworks. Among these contaminants, engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) stand out for their unique surface reactivities and transformation pathways, which can significantly alter their behavior and that of co-occurring pollutants. Although many studies have addressed the toxicity and fate of individual ENMs, real-world scenarios often involve complex mixtures, whose combined effects are less investigated. This study addresses this gap by investigating the fate, behavior, and ecological impacts of a mixture of two representative metal oxide ENMs i.e. an industrial TiO2 and a combustion-derived CeO2. This study shows that under environmentally relevant conditions using freshwater mesocosms, these two ENMs undergo primary hetero-aggregation. Co-exposure of the freshwater snail Planorbarius corneus revealed that ENM aggregates (homo- or primary hetero-aggregates) interact with egg layings, potentially affecting early developmental stages, while slight but measurable uptakes were also observed in co-exposed adult snails. Importantly, no quenching of reactive oxygen species generated by the photocatalytic TiO2 was detected in the presence of CeO2, suggesting that the combusted CeO2 does not mitigate potentially TiO2-induced phototoxicity. These findings underscore the importance of considering ENM mixtures in environmental risk assessments and the relevance of mesocosm experiments to capture realistic exposure scenarios. Future studies should prioritize investigating how unique surface reactivities and transformation mechanisms of ENM mixtures shape their ecological impacts throughout their life cycles.

Correction for ‘Beyond single nanomaterial exposure: investigating the fate of a TiO 2 and CeO 2 nanomaterial mixture in freshwater mesocosms’ by Amazigh Ouaksel et al. , Environ. Sci.: Nano , 2026, https://doi.org/10.1039/d5en00871a.

Exposure of a freshwater ecosystem to a mixture of two relevant engineered nanomaterials revealed distinct aggregation dynamics, behavior, and fate.

Within the ITER project (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) an international project building a magnetic confinement device to achieve fusion as a sustainable energy source, tungsten (W) is planned to serve as a plasma-facing component (PFC) in the tokamak, a magnetic confinement device used to produce controlled thermonuclear fusion power. Post plasma-W interactions, submicron tungsten particles can be released. This study investigated the exposure of lentic freshwater ecosystems to ITER-like tungsten nanoparticles in indoor aquatic mesocosms. Monitoring included tungsten (bio)distribution, (bio)transformation, speciation, and impacts following a relevant exposure scenario (chronic, medium-term, low-dose contamination). Additionally, mechanistic studies using a combination of microfluidic cells and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) provided a time-resolved understanding of tungsten's oxidative dissolution in freshwater. Following contamination, tungsten persisted in the water column (over 90 %), showing significant (∼40 %) and rapid (< 7 days) oxidation-dissolution and polymerization. This led to significant exposure of planktonic niches, strong affinity of polymeric tungsten species for aquatic vegetation, and potential transfer to higher trophic levels like aquatic snails. Over five weeks, the bio-physicochemical parameters of the mesocosms remained stable, and no acute impacts were observed on micro- and macro-organisms.

Nuclear facilities continue to be developed to help meet global energy demands while reducing fossil fuel use. However, an incident during the dismantling of these facilities could accidentally release tritiated particles (e.g. stainless steel) into the environment. Herein, we investigated the environmental dosimetry, fate, and impact of tritiated stainless steel (nano)particles (1 mg.L-1 particles and 1 MBq.L-1 tritium) using indoor freshwater aquatic mesocosms to mimic a pond ecosystem. The tritium (bio)distribution and particle fate and (bio)transformation were monitored in the different environmental compartments over 4 weeks using beta counting and chemical analysis. Impacts on picoplanktonic and picobenthic communities, and the benthic freshwater snail, Anisus vortex, were assessed as indicators of environmental health. Following contamination, some tritium (similar to 16%) desorbed into the water column while the particles rapidly settled onto the sediment. After 4 weeks, the particles and the majority of the tritium (>80%) had accumulated in the sediment, indicating a high exposure of the benthic ecological niche. Indeed, the benthic grazers presented significant behavioral changes despite low steel uptake (<0.01%). These results provide knowledge on the potential environmental impacts of incidental tritiated (nano)particles, which will allow for improved hazard and risk management.

The crustacean class Branchiopoda for the Mediterranean Basin is briefly reviewed and identification keys to lowest justifiable taxonomic levels are presented with diagnostic characters figured. The review text provides introductory information, limitations to identifications, future research needs, and the needed methods and anatomical terminology for collecting and identifying these animals.

Tungsten (W) is intended as a plasma-facing component in thermonuclear experimental tokamak reactors (ITER). Post plasma-W interactions, submicron tungsten particles can be released. This study investigated the exposure of lentic freshwater ecosystems to ITER-like tungsten nanoparticles in indoor aquatic mesocosms. Monitoring included tungsten (bio)distribution, (bio)transformation, speciation, and impacts following a relevant exposure scenario (chronic, medium-term, low-dose contamination). Additionally, mechanistic studies using a combination of microfluidics and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) provided a time-resolved understanding of tungsten's oxidative dissolution in freshwater. Following contamination, tungsten persisted in the water column (over 90%), showing significant (~40%) and rapid (< 7 days) oxidation-dissolution and polymerization. This led to significant exposure of planktonic niches, strong affinity of polymerized tungsten for aquatic vegetation, and potential transfer to higher trophic levels like aquatic snails. Over five weeks, the bio-physicochemical parameters of the mesocosms remained stable, and no acute impacts were observed on micro- and macro-organisms. These findings offer key insights into the environmental behavior, fate, speciation, and impacts of ITER-like tungsten nanoparticles, and valuable data for hazard and risk management strategies.

The release of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) during manufacturing, use and disposal of nano-enabled products (NEPs) is a potential route of environmental nanopollution. To date, there is limited knowledge on the ecological impact of ENMs incorporated in NEP matrices and how they compare to pristine nanoparticles. Here, we examined the fate and effect of silver nanowires (AgNWs) embedded in a cellulose matrix for the production of printed paper electronics (PPE) (nano)technologies. The fate and impact of fragmented AgNWs-PPE was monitored for 21 days in freshwater mesocosms mimicking a pond ecosystem. The Ag release and AgNWs-PPE behavior in water was further characterized in abiotic batch incubations. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were carried out to estimate the Ag partitioning between the environmental compartments and the aging of AgNWs-PPE as well as bioaccumulation and behavioral responses in biota. In contaminated pond mesocosms, the NEP cellulose/polyvinylidene chloride matrix resulted in rapid settling of the Ag on the sediments and prevented Ag release into the water column. The highest aqueous concentration measured corresponded to less than 0.5% of the total Ag introduced. The AgNWs-PPE fragments accumulated at the water sediment interface, where they were rapidly (bio)degraded and became bioavailable for benthic organisms. Aquatic snails accumulated a significant fraction of the Ag (1.4 +/- 0.5%) and displayed enhanced burrowing behavior in comparison to controls. In batch experiments, alteration of the ENM morphology was evident at the NEP surface. Here, the colocalization of Ag and S clusters suggests aging via sulfidation, similar to other pristine Ag ENMs. However, the cellulose matrix prevented weathering of the AgNWs within the NEP, which presented a near-pristine state even after 21 days of incubation. Overall, these results indicate that the fate and impact of Ag embedded in the AgNWs-PPE were driven by the cellulose matrix. In particular, given the specific properties and behavior of paper-based (nano)products, these may constitute a unique category when evaluating NEP environmental impact. The data gathered in this study can help in defining the environmental fate of such materials and provide useful information to address future studies focused on ENM environmental fate and risk assessment in a life-cycle perspective. The fate and impact of silver nanowires incorporated in a paper-based nano-enabled product (NEP) was investigated in freshwater mesocosms.

The fairy shrimp Tanymastigites ajjeri n. sp. is described from a temporary water body, or guelta, in the Sahara Desert near the Tadrart mountains, east of Tassili n’Ajjer National Park, Libya. Males are readily separated from congeners by the morphology of the frontal appendages, which have an undivided lateral ramus and ≥ 0.4× the length of the medial ramus, and by the second antennae, in which the medial lamellar process bears a spatulate distal lobe. The new species is most similar to congeners T. perrieri (Daday, 1910) and T. mzabica (Gauthier, 1928), and it represents the sixth described species in this genus. We provide an updated key to the genus and comments on its diagnosis and definition, particularly concerning the descriptive terminology of the second antennae. In addition, we provide a list of new records of species of Branchiopoda, Copepoda, and Ostracoda from Tassili n’Ajjer National Park.

The extraction of phenolic compounds from olive mill wastes is important, not only to avoid environmental damages, but also because of the intrinsic value of those biophenols, well-known for their high antioxidant potential and health benefits. This study focuses on tyrosol (Tyr) and hydroxytyrosol (HT), two of the main phenolic compounds found in olive mill wastes. A new, simple, and eco-friendly extraction process for the removal of phenolic compounds from aqueous solutions using native β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) in the solid state has been developed. Several β-CD/biophenol molar ratios and biophenol concentrations were investigated, in order to maintain β-CD mostly in the solid state while optimizing the extraction yield and the loading capacity of the sorbent. The extraction efficiencies of Tyr and HT were up to 61%, with a total solid recovery higher than 90% using an initial concentration of 100 mM biophenol and 10 molar equivalents of β-CD. The photochemical stability of the complexes thus obtained was estimated from ∆E*ab curve vs. illumination time. The results obtained showed that the phenols encapsulated into solid β-CD are protected against photodegradation. The powder obtained could be directly developed as a safe-grade food supplement. This simple eco-friendly process could be used for extracting valuable biophenols from olive mill wastewater.

The occurrence of organic pollutants into water resources, including pharmaceutics, personal care products, pesticides, and/or hormones, is a major issue for all biological species. The impacts of these contaminants on both human beings and the environment are not yet fully understood, and the water pollution has raised a major public concern for many worldwide health authorities. In this letter, we propose a new strategy allowing the decontamination of organic pollutants based on polymer-free bionspired materials. A simple incubation of contaminated samples with nucleolipids allows a quantitative decontamination.

Production of Manufactured Nanomaterials (MNMs) has increased extensively due to economic interest in the current years. However, this widespread use raises concern about their impact on human and environment. Current efforts are made, both at national and international levels to help developing safer MNMs in the market. In order to assess hazards of MNMs, it is important to take into account exposome parameters in order to link fate and behavior of MNMs to their potential toxicity. In that context, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of TiO2 MNMs-based cement at different levels of its life cycle (TiO2MNMs, cement containing TiO2 MNMs) on two exposure mesocosm scenarios mimicking: marine conditions using the bivalve Scrobicularia plana and freshwater conditions using the gastropod Planorbarius corneus for 28 days, allowing measurements of physical-chemical parameters throughout the duration of the exposure. Similar results were observed in both exposure conditions since in the two scenarios Ti was removed from the water column and accumulated in surficial sediments. While in P. corneus, statistically different concentrations of Ti were measured in the digestive glands compared to controls following exposure to TiO2 MNMs, elevated background of Ti concentrations were measured in the controls of S. plana that did not allow to discriminating any bioaccumulation process. In addition, both TiO2 MNMs and TiO2MNM-based cement exposed S. plana did not present any activation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs). This study demonstrates the robustness of using both freshwater and marine mesocosms for evaluation of risk associated with nanomaterial.

AbstractVariations of the animal body plan morphology and morphometry can be used as prognostic tools of their habitat quality. The potential of the moon jellyfish (Aurelia spp.) as a new model organism has been poorly tested. However, as a tetramerous symmetry organism, it exhibits some variations in radial symmetry number. A pertinent list of morphological – number of gonads – and morphometric characteristics – e.g. ratio of the gonads area on the umbrella area – has been established to describe the morphology of 19 specimens through an image analysis. The method uses for the first time the Hough transform to approximate the gonads and the umbrella by ellipses and automatically extracts the morphometric data. A statistical comparison has been done to compare the morphometric characteristics of tetramerous jellyfish and of jellyfish with 5 gonads: it is only provided as a first step for testing biological hypotheses, since the small size of the data set leads to relativize its conclusions. It suggests that two parameters are discriminant: distance between the center of the gonads and the center of the umbrella, and the individual variability of the gonad eccentricity, both higher in jellyfish with 5 gonads. Additionally, the relative size of the gonads does not seem to be different between tetramerous and non-tetramerous. Combined to ecotoxicological bioassays to better understand the causes of this developmental alteration, this optimizable method can become a powerful tool in the symmetry description of an in situ population.

Silver nanomaterials with different shapes (spheres, plates, wires, rods, cubes) are valued by industries and scientists for their shape-dependent properties which make them useful for diverse applications.

This study focused for the first time on characterizing the inclusion complexes between beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) and hydroxytyrosol (HT) in the solid state. In solution, HT and beta-CD are able to form a 1:1 inclusion complex with an association constant of 33.2 +/- 3.7 M-1. In the solid state, the inclusion complexes prepared by freeze-drying and spray-drying of an equimolar mixture of both partners were characterized and compared by C-13 NMR and SEM. After dissolution, their free radical-scavenging ability was also determined by UV-visible spectroscopy. The results show that beta-CD and drying processes have no effect on the efficiency of HT to reduce the DPPH radical. The solid state C-13 NMR data provided information on the spatial proximity between beta-CD and HT and suggest the formation of inclusion complexes for both drying processes compared to the physical mix. However, the morphology of the solids obtained was significantly different, as spherical particles were formed by spray-drying while freeze-drying only provided irregular shapes.

Palustrine carbonates are frequently found with active and dried karstic springs in the foothills of the mountains bordering the Persepolis Basin, southwest Iran. A combination of geological conditions favours their formation, including (i) the presence of karstic limestone aquifers in the limbs of anticlines cut through by fault systems; (ii) very gentle slopes from the spring resurgence point towards the centre of the alluvial plain, creating a flat waterlogged area; and (iii) a semiarid climate with marked precipitation seasonality or significant fluctuations in water discharge and wetland water table. We suggest the term “anastomosing wetlands” or “anastomosing palustrine environments” to denote the studied karstic spring–fed carbonate wetlands, because of similarities with anastomosing river systems in aerial view. The common presence of extended anastomosing wetland carbonates in the Persepolis Basin and adjacent basins in the central and southern Zagros suggests that they can play an important role in the geological records of collision-related basin-and-range settings dominated by karstic limestones. Karstic spring wetlands are a main source of fresh water hosting a rich biodiversity, which attracts human communities, whose impact is visible in the archaeological material imbedded in the wetland stratigraphy. Fresh water availability, through these spring wetlands, partly explains why the semiarid Persepolis region was selected by successive civilizations, from Elamites to Persians until early Islamic entities, to establish regional centres throughout the period from the third millennium B.C. to the first millennium A.D. Only a few of these ecosystems have survived the intensive human activities of recent decades.

Environmental risk assessment of nanomaterials generally relies on a decision-tree based strategy which provides guidance and protocols for the determination of a collection of hazard end-points. Mesocosm testing is based on a different approach. This method consists in monitoring the evolution of a re-created miniature ecosystem subsequent to a nanomaterial contamination. The only decision in this risk assessment strategy is the definition of an environmentally relevant exposure scenario (incl. dose), which, given current analytical capabilities, may unfavorably affect the nature and precision of parameters and endpoints to be determined. Despite these limitations, mesocosm testing bears clear advantages for the determination of both exposure and hazard in a single experiment, and for producing dependable and intercomparable data.

Apple orchards are heavily treated crops and some sprayed insecticides are recognized to have toxic effects on non-target arthropods. Earwigs are important natural enemies in pip-fruit orchards and contribute to the biological control of aphids. In addition, due to their ease of capture and identification, they are an interesting potential bioindicator of the possible detrimental effects of different orchard management strategies. In this study, we measured the energy reserves and some morphological traits of Forficula auricularia L. sampled in apple orchards under management strategies (organic versus integrated pest management (IPM)). We observed a significant decrease in mass (22 to 27%), inter-eye width (3%), and prothorax width (2 to 5%) in earwigs from IPM compared to organic orchards. Energy body reserves also confirmed these results with a significant decrease of 48% in glycogen and 25 to 42% in lipid content in earwigs from IPM compared to organic orchards. However, the protein content was approximately 70% higher in earwigs from IPM than in organic orchards. Earwigs sampled in IPM orchards may adapt to minimize the adverse toxic effects of pesticide treatments using a large number of strategies, which are reflected in changes to their energy reserves. These strategies could, in turn, influence the population dynamics of natural enemies and impair their role in the biological control of pests in apple orchards.

Indoor aquatic mesocosms were used to assess the behavior of a wood stain containing CuO nanoparticles in a simulated pond ecosystem for 1 month.