Fullerenes, which were discovered in 1985, represent a third allotrope of carbon known for its caged structure and polyaromaticity. As the nanotechnology industry develops, C_(60) is expected to be produced and consumed in great amounts, so there is little doubt that this nanomaterial will increasingly be found in the environment. Although pristine C_(60) is extremely insoluble in water, it can be suspended through several methods. In this paper we call these stable C_(60) water suspensions nC_(60). Studies have shown that nC_(60) is toxic to bacteria, eukaryotic cell lines, water fleas and fish. However, most previous studies were conducted in simple systems with well-defined aqueous media. Little is known about how natural organic matter (NOM), ubiquitously present in soil or suspended in the water column, affects nC_(60) toxicity.
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