The influence of wastewater-derived organic matter on the fate and toxicity of nanomaterial titanium dioxide (nTiO_2) was investigated through a variety of characterisation and toxicity test methods. Although no toxicity was found, this study shows for the first time that testing of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in environmentally relevant organic matter is important for accurate risk assessment. Characterisation results show that nTiO_2 will aggregate and settle out of solution rapidly when in treated effluent compared to growth media or reference organic matter. This result indicates that nTiO_2 released in treated effluent is of low risk to aquatic species in the water column.
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