About
Diverse Effects of Environmentally Relevant Metal-based Nanoparticle and Pesticide Mixtures on Soil Fauna: A Novel Issue for Risk Assessment (2014-09-4459)
The goal of the DEFENSoil project is to determine the effects of metal-based nanoparticles and pesticides mixtures on non-target organisms with the purpose of getting applicable results in the determination of environmental and ecological risks in terms of greater use of nanotechnology.
In order to achieve the set goals, wide-range and targeted research will be conducted which includes different levels of complexity (from preliminary laboratory experiments to experiments performed in restricted environmental conditions), different endpoints (from molecular to population level), different scenarios of exposure (single toxicant – mixture of toxic substances, short-term – long-term exposure, one-time exposure – series of exposures), with standard model and native soil organisms.
The expected results will contribute to the current knowledge on the effects of toxic mixtures on non-target soil organisms which play a key role in the process of environmental risk assessment, it’s management and legislative creation. The obtained results, apart from giving answers to particular academic questions, will bring possibilities of improvements in real-term soil protection and contribute to knowledge essential for sustainable soil use.
Project manager
Izv.prof.dr.sc. Branimir Hackenberger Kutuzović
Project duration
48 months (4 years)
Funding
Croatian science foundation
