Although both silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and silver nanowires (AgNWs) are useful in a wide variety of anti-microbial, conductive, and optical applications, but the effects of their waste on the environment are still not well understood. In this study, first, the acute toxicity of these nanomaterials was studied on instar I nauplii of Artemia and the median effective concentrations (EC50s) were calculated by using Probit Analysis. Afterwards, the assimilation and elimination of these nanomaterials was investigated in two 24-hour periods using instar II nauplii of Artemia. For this purpose, the silver concentration was measured using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS). The results showed that acute toxicity of AgNPs is twice that of AgNWs, so that the EC50 of AgNPs and AgNWs was 3.843±0.410 and 7.989±0.024 mg/L respectively. The background concentration of silver in instar II nauplii was 0.004±0.002 mg/Kg which following 24 hour exposure to 1 and 10 mg/L AgNWs increased to 0.858±0.400 and 0.878±0.654 mg/K respectively, and following 24 hour exposure to 1 and 10 mg/L AgNPs it increased to 0.327±0.063 and 0.522±0.308 mg/K respectively. The assimilated silver in 1 and 10 mg/L AgNWs, 1 and 10 mg/L AgNPs exposed nauplii was partly eliminated and decreased to 0.337±0.036, 0.523±0.308, 0.137±0.064, and 0.438±0.080 mg/K, respectively. The results of accumulation study showed that although both AgNPs and AgNWs are highly accumulated in the body of Artemia, the assimilation of AgNWs is more than AgNPs and subsequently the elimination of AgNWs is slightly lower than AgNPs.
