Nanotechnologies continue to permeate a multitude of industries, with diverse applications ranging from pesticides to fuel additives. The unusual behavior of nanomaterials that drives their innovation also complicates the job of toxicologists tasked with assessing their potential environmental and public health impacts. This dissertation investigates the underlying reasons for uncertainty...
Nanoscale polymers (including nanoplastics) are widely present through commerce and make their way into the environment. As the improper disposal of plastic waste leads to continued accumulation and degradation of plastic pollution, the presence of plastic particles less than 1 micron (μm) in size (nanoplastics) will increase. Heightened concern over...
Nanoparticles (NPs), defined by their size (1-100 nm), are increasingly incorporated into commercial and industrial products due to their high surface area and unique properties. They can be designed for specific applications by manipulating composition, size, shape, and surface functionalization. As NP production and complexity increases, there is a need...
Numerous studies have shown that some nanomaterials are highly toxic to aquatic organisms and can potentially disrupt overall community health; however, current methods to evaluate the nanomaterials environmental impacts rarely consider the environmental realism or provide sufficient detail on the impact at the community level. Here we demonstrate three approaches...
Spirituality is an important component in the lives of many Black Americans. Black American life has spirituality woven into multiple aspects. From what clothes to wear, what words to use when creating a dialogue with others, which television shows to watch, which jobs to pursue, how to treat those who...
The numerous different types of nanomaterials and paucity of reliable in vivo information on toxicity has resulted in enduring uncertainties associated with health and safety risks, thereby slowing progress in nanotherapeutic assessment and development. This dissertation explores how the embryonic zebrafish model can be applied to prioritize commonly used nanomaterial...
Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is a widely used broad-spectrum organophosphate insecticide. Following exposures, CPF and its more toxic oxon metabolite (CPFO) elicit neurotoxic effects by inhibiting the activity of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme (AChE), resulting in altered fitness and death at high doses. Following exposure, organisms bioactivate CPF to CPFO through the Cytochrome...
The development of analytical methods for emerging contaminants creates many unique challenges for analytical chemists. By their nature, emerging contaminants have inherent data gaps related to their environmental occurrence, fate, and impact. This dissertation is a compilation of three studies related to method development for the structural identification of emerging...
Metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) are manufactured at the greatest rate of any class of nanomaterial due to their wide variety of industrial, commercial, and environmental applications. The sustainable use of MONPs requires a balance of careful consideration of their potential negative environmental impacts with the effective exploitation of their unique...
Aromatic hydrocarbons represent a large class of environmental contaminants that have a broad range of structures, physicochemical properties, and toxicities. Arising from the burning of organic matter, particularly fossil fuels, they are both widespread and abundant in all environmental compartments. Both monoaromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are...