Acute Aquatic Toxicity to Zebrafish and Bioaccumulation in Marine Mussels of Antimony Tin Oxide Nanoparticles

Antimony tin oxide (Sb O /SnO ) is effective in the absorption of infrared radiation for applications, such as skylights. As a nanoparticle (NP), it can be incorporated into films or sheets providing infrared radiation attenuation while allowing for a transparent final product. The acute toxicity exerted by commercial Sb O /SnO (ATO) NPs was studied in adults and embryos of zebrafish ( ). Our results suggest that these NPs do not induce an acute toxicity in zebrafish, either adults or embryos. However, some sub-lethal parameters were altered: heart rate and spontaneous movements. Finally, the possible bioaccumulation of these NPs in the aquacultured marine mussel sp. was studied. A quantitative analysis was performed using single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (sp-ICP-MS). The results indicated that, despite being scarce (2.31 × 10 ± 9.05 × 10 NPs/g), there is some accumulation of the ATO NPs in the mussel. In conclusion, commercial ATO NPs seem to be quite innocuous to aquatic organisms; however, the fact that some of the developmental parameters in zebrafish embryos are altered should be considered for further investigation. More in-depth analysis of these NPs transformations in the digestive tract of humans is needed to assess whether their accumulation in mussels presents an actual risk to humans.