What is effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles on soil, plants, and animals?

This article presents an exhaustive review of the literature on the effects of ZnO-NP on soil, plants, and animals.

Issues related to the toxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles, in vitro and in vivo test methods for living organisms, the development of environmental health criteria and the acceptance of the toxicity limits of metallic nanoparticles are topical.

The paper Effects of zinc-oxide nanoparticles on soil, plants, animals and soil organisms: A review published in the Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring & Management Journal Volume 9, contributes to understanding the fate and behavior of zinc oxide nanoparticles in the soil, its absorption, and distribution in plants, animals, and microbes, as well as their interactions with other pollutants. 

This article presents an exhaustive review of the literature on the effects of ZnO-NP on soil, plants, animals and the functioning of soil microbial communities. The greater application of ZnO-NP clearly indicates the negative impact of these components.

Therefore, it is necessary to explore the toxicity and behavior of ZnO-NPs in water, living organisms (biota), soil and sediments individually and their toxicity in combination. The processes of sedimentation and degradation of ZnO-NP in the aquatic environment are not well studied.

The environmental risk assessment for ZnO-NP in the soil should be carried out using analytical methods and ecotoxicological and modeling methods. The study suggests that past and future research should be placed in the context of current risk assessments associated with ZnO-NP, its use, distribution, and release into the environment.

More studies focusing on the elucidation of the fate and behavior of ZnO-NPs in complex environmental matrices are needed to preserve the functioning of the ecosystem and the human type. It is anticipated that this review article may stimulate new research in this area.