Joyce Chai, USA
Joyce Chai is from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estates, California, USA.
The official motivation of the Nominating Committee for her project “Modelling the Toxic Effects of Silver Nanoparticles under Varying Environmental Conditions” is:
“The project from the USA entitled ‘Modelling the Toxic Effects of Silver Nanoparticles under Varying Environmental Conditions’ is the winner of the 2008 Stockholm Junior Water Prize for discovering the potential toxicity of silver nanoparticles. This is a new, hardly investigated category of micropollutants, which are commonly used in industry for a variety of purposes. These particles are then released into the environment, including water bodies, without proper knowledge of their fate and potential toxicity. The remarkable level of scientific research takes steps towards understanding and quantifying the potential environmental consequences and risks of their use. This study repudiates the assertion that silver nanoparticles are more reliable and less environmentally hazardous than silver ions. This initial research questions the reliability of their use in consumer products. The scientific impact of this investigation is extremely profound, and we expect that it will open the door to serious questioning and further studies regarding the widespread use of silver nanoparticles.”
