51
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Elskens M, Boonen I, Eisenreich S. Prediction and assessment of xenoestrogens mixture effects using the in vitro ERα-CALUX assay. FRONTIERS IN TOXICOLOGY 2023; 5:1252847. [PMID: 38143908 PMCID: PMC10739317 DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2023.1252847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Many natural or synthetic compounds used in foods, dietary supplements, and food contact materials (FCMs) are suspected endocrine disruptors (EDs). Currently, scientific evidence to predict the impacts on biological systems of ED mixtures is lacking. In this study, three classes of substances were considered: i) phytoestrogens, ii) plant protection products (PPP) and iii) substances related to FCMs. Fourteen compounds were selected based on their potential endocrine activity and their presence in food and FCMs. Methods: These compounds were evaluated using an in vitro gene expression assay, the ERα-CALUX, to characterize their responses on the estrogen receptor alpha. Cells were exposed to fixed ratio mixtures and non-equipotent mixtures of full and partial agonists. The concentration-response curves measured for the three classes of compounds were characterized by variable geometric parameters in terms of maximum response (efficacy), sensitivity (slope) and potency (median effective concentration EC50). To account for these variations, a generic response addition (GRA) model was derived from mass action kinetics. Results: Although GRA does not allow us to clearly separate the concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA) models, it was possible to determine in a statistically robust way whether the combined action of the chemicals in the mixture acted by interaction (synergy and antagonism) or by additive behavior. This distinction is crucial for assessing the risks associated with exposure to xenoestrogens. A benchmark dose approach was used to compare the response of phytoestrogen blends in the presence and absence of the hormone estradiol (E2). At the same time, 12 mixtures of 2-5 constituents including phytoestrogens, phthalates and PPPs in proportions close to those found in food products were tested. In 95% of cases, the response pattern observed showed a joint and independent effect of the chemicals on ER. Discussion: Overall, these results validate a risk assessment approach based on an additive effects model modulated by intrinsic toxicity factors. Here, the CA and IA approaches cannot be distinguished solely based on the shape of the concentration response curves. However, the optimized GRA model is more robust than CA when the efficacy, potency, and sensitivity of individual chemical agonists show large variations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Elskens
- Laboratory for Analytical and Environmental Chemistry, Chemistry Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Imke Boonen
- Laboratory for Analytical and Environmental Chemistry, Chemistry Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Steven Eisenreich
- Laboratory for Analytical and Environmental Chemistry, Chemistry Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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52
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Weis JS, Alava JJ. (Micro)Plastics Are Toxic Pollutants. TOXICS 2023; 11:935. [PMID: 37999586 PMCID: PMC10675727 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11110935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Plastics, including microplastics, have generally been regarded as harmful to organisms because of their physical characteristics. There has recently been a call to understand and regard them as persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic. This review elaborates on the reasons that microplastics in particular should be considered as "toxic pollutants". This view is supported by research demonstrating that they contain toxic chemicals within their structure and also adsorb additional chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), from the environment. Furthermore, these chemicals can be released into tissues of animals that consume microplastics and can be responsible for the harmful effects observed on biological processes such as development, physiology, gene expression, and behavior. Leachates, weathering, and biofilm play important roles in the interactions between microplastics and biota. Global policy efforts by the United Nations Environmental Assembly via the international legally binding treaty to address global plastic pollution should consider the designation of harmful plastics (e.g., microplastics) with associated hazardous chemicals as toxic pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith S. Weis
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Juan José Alava
- Ocean Pollution Research Unit & Nippon Foundation-Ocean Litter Project, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T1Z4, Canada;
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53
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Maes T, Preston-Whyte F, Lavelle S, Gomiero A, Booth AM, Belzunce-Segarra MJ, Bellas J, Brooks S, Bakir A, Devriese LI, Pham CK, De Witte B. A recipe for plastic: Expert insights on plastic additives in the marine environment. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 196:115633. [PMID: 37864860 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
The production and consumption of plastic products had been steadily increasing over the years, leading to more plastic waste entering the environment. Plastic pollution is ubiquitous and comes in many types and forms. To enhance or modify their properties, chemical additives are added to plastic items during manufacturing. The presence and leakage of these additives, from managed and mismanaged plastic waste, into the environment are of growing concern. In this study, we gauged, via an online questionnaire, expert knowledge on the use, characteristics, monitoring and risks of plastic additives to the marine environment. We analysed the survey results against actual data to identify and prioritise risks and gaps. Participants also highlighted key factors for future consideration, including gaining a deeper understanding of the use and types of plastic additives, how they leach throughout the entire lifecycle, their toxicity, and the safety of alternative options. More extensive chemical regulation and an evaluation of the essentiality of their use should also be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Maes
- GRID-Arendal, Teaterplassen 3, 4836 Arendal, Norway.
| | | | | | - Alessio Gomiero
- NORCE Climate and Environment dep, Mekjarvik 12, 4072 Randaberg, Norway
| | - Andy M Booth
- SINTEF Ocean, Brattørkaia 17C, 7010 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Juan Bellas
- Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo, Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), CSIC, Subida a Radio Faro 50, Vigo 36390, Spain
| | - Steven Brooks
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Økernveien 94, 0579 Oslo, Norway
| | - Adil Bakir
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 0HT, UK
| | - Lisa I Devriese
- Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), InnovOcean Campus, Jacobsenstraat 1, 8400 Ostend, Belgium
| | - Christopher Kim Pham
- Instituto de Investigação em Ciências do Mar - OKEANOS, Universidade dos Açores, Horta, Portugal
| | - Bavo De Witte
- Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Marine Research (ILVO-Marine), Jacobsenstraat 1, 8400 Ostend, Belgium
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54
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Rist S, Le Du-Carrée J, Ugwu K, Intermite C, Acosta-Dacal A, Pérez-Luzardo O, Zumbado M, Gómez M, Almeda R. Toxicity of tire particle leachates on early life stages of keystone sea urchin species. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 336:122453. [PMID: 37633434 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Particles from tires are a major fraction of microplastic pollution. They contain a wide range of chemical additives that can leach into the water and be harmful to aquatic organisms. In this study, we investigated the acute toxicity of tire particle leachates in early life stages of three keystone echinoderm species (Paracentrotus lividus, Arbacia lixula, Diadema africanum). Embryos were exposed for 72 h to a range of leachate dilutions, prepared using a concentration of 1 g L-1. Larval growth, abnormal development, and mortality were the measured endpoints. Furthermore, we estimated the activity of glutathione S transferase (GST) and the electron transport system (ETS) in P. lividus. Strong concentration-dependent responses were observed in all species, though with differing sensitivity. The median effect concentrations for abnormal development in P. lividus and A. lixula were 0.16 and 0.35 g L-1, respectively. In D. africanum, mortality overshadowed abnormal development and the median lethal concentration was 0.46 g L-1. Larvae of P. lividus were significantly smaller than the control from 0.125 g L-1, while the other two species were affected from 0.5 g L-1. ETS activity did not change but there was a non-significant trend of increasing GST activity with leachate concentration in P. lividus. Seven organic chemicals and eight metals were detected at elevated concentrations in the leachates. While we regard zinc as a strong candidate to explain some of the observed toxicity, it can be expected that tire particle leachates exhibit a cocktail effect and other leached additives may also contribute to their toxicity. Our results emphasize the importance of multi-species studies as they differ in their susceptibility to tire particle pollution. We found negative effects at concentrations close to projections in the environment, which calls for more research and mitigation actions on these pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinja Rist
- National Institute of Aquatic Resources (DTU Aqua), Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark; Marine Ecophysiology Group (EOMAR, IU-ECOAQUA), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
| | - Jessy Le Du-Carrée
- Marine Ecophysiology Group (EOMAR, IU-ECOAQUA), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Kevin Ugwu
- Marine Ecophysiology Group (EOMAR, IU-ECOAQUA), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain; Man-Technology-Environment Research Centre (MTM), Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Chiara Intermite
- Marine Ecophysiology Group (EOMAR, IU-ECOAQUA), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Andrea Acosta-Dacal
- Toxicology Unit, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Paseo Blas Cabrera S/n, 35016, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Octavio Pérez-Luzardo
- Toxicology Unit, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Paseo Blas Cabrera S/n, 35016, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain; Spanish Biomedical Research Center in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERObn), Spain
| | - Manuel Zumbado
- Toxicology Unit, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Paseo Blas Cabrera S/n, 35016, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain; Spanish Biomedical Research Center in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERObn), Spain
| | - May Gómez
- Marine Ecophysiology Group (EOMAR, IU-ECOAQUA), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Rodrigo Almeda
- Marine Ecophysiology Group (EOMAR, IU-ECOAQUA), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
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55
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Seewoo BJ, Goodes LM, Mofflin L, Mulders YR, Wong EV, Toshniwal P, Brunner M, Alex J, Johnston B, Elagali A, Gozt A, Lyle G, Choudhury O, Solomons T, Symeonides C, Dunlop SA. The plastic health map: A systematic evidence map of human health studies on plastic-associated chemicals. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2023; 181:108225. [PMID: 37948868 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The global production and use of plastic materials has increased dramatically since the 1960s and there is increasing evidence of human health impacts related to exposure to plastic-associated chemicals. There is, however, no comprehensive, regulatory, post-market monitoring for human health effects of plastic-associated chemicals or particles and it is unclear how many of these have been investigated for effects in humans, and therefore what the knowledge gaps are. OBJECTIVE To create a systematic evidence map of peer-reviewed human studies investigating the potential effects of exposure to plastic-associated particles/chemicals on health to identify research gaps and provide recommendations for future research and regulation policy. METHODS Medline and Embase databases were used to identify peer-reviewed primary human studies published in English from Jan 1960 - Jan 2022 that investigated relationships between exposures to included plastic-associated particles/chemicals measured and detected in bio-samples and human health outcomes. Plastic-associated particles/chemicals included are: micro and nanoplastics, due to their widespread occurrence and potential for human exposure; polymers, the main building blocks of plastic; plasticizers and flame retardants, the two most common types of plastic additives with the highest concentration ranges in plastic materials; and bisphenols and per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances, two chemical classes of known health concern that are common in plastics. We extracted metadata on the population and study characteristics (country, intergenerational, sex, age, general/special exposure risk status, study design), exposure (plastic-associated particle/chemical, multiple exposures), and health outcome measures (biochemical, physiological, and/or clinical), from which we produced the interactive database 'Plastic Health Map' and a narrative summary. RESULTS We identified 100,949 unique articles, of which 3,587 met our inclusion criteria and were used to create a systematic evidence map. The Plastic Health Map with extracted metadata from included studies are freely available at https://osf.io/fhw7d/ and summary tables, plots and overall observations are included in this report. CONCLUSIONS We present the first evidence map compiling human health research on a wide range of plastic-associated chemicals from several different chemical classes, in order to provide stakeholders, including researchers, regulators, and concerned individuals, with an efficient way to access published literature on the matter and determine knowledge gaps. We also provide examples of data clusters to facilitate systematic reviews and research gaps to help direct future research efforts. Extensive gaps are identified in the breadth of populations, exposures and outcomes addressed in studies of potential human health effects of plastic-associated chemicals. No studies of the human health effects of micro and/or nanoplastics were found, and no studies were found for 26/1,202 additives included in our search that are of known hazard concern and confirmed to be in active production. Few studies have addressed recent "substitution" chemicals for restricted additives such as organophosphate flame retardants, phthalate substitutes, and bisphenol analogues. We call for a paradigm shift in chemical regulation whereby new plastic chemicals are rigorously tested for safety before being introduced in consumer products, with ongoing post-introduction biomonitoring of their levels in humans and health effects throughout individuals' life span, including in old age and across generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhedita J Seewoo
- Plastics, Minderoo Foundation, 171-173 Mounts Bay Road 6000, Perth, WA, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Louise M Goodes
- Plastics, Minderoo Foundation, 171-173 Mounts Bay Road 6000, Perth, WA, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Louise Mofflin
- Plastics, Minderoo Foundation, 171-173 Mounts Bay Road 6000, Perth, WA, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Yannick R Mulders
- Plastics, Minderoo Foundation, 171-173 Mounts Bay Road 6000, Perth, WA, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Enoch Vs Wong
- Plastics, Minderoo Foundation, 171-173 Mounts Bay Road 6000, Perth, WA, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Priyanka Toshniwal
- Plastics, Minderoo Foundation, 171-173 Mounts Bay Road 6000, Perth, WA, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Manuel Brunner
- Plastics, Minderoo Foundation, 171-173 Mounts Bay Road 6000, Perth, WA, Australia; School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Jennifer Alex
- Plastics, Minderoo Foundation, 171-173 Mounts Bay Road 6000, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Brady Johnston
- Plastics, Minderoo Foundation, 171-173 Mounts Bay Road 6000, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Ahmed Elagali
- Plastics, Minderoo Foundation, 171-173 Mounts Bay Road 6000, Perth, WA, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Aleksandra Gozt
- Plastics, Minderoo Foundation, 171-173 Mounts Bay Road 6000, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Greg Lyle
- Plastics, Minderoo Foundation, 171-173 Mounts Bay Road 6000, Perth, WA, Australia; School of Population Health, Curtin University, Kent St, Bentley WA 6102, Australia
| | - Omrik Choudhury
- Plastics, Minderoo Foundation, 171-173 Mounts Bay Road 6000, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Terena Solomons
- Plastics, Minderoo Foundation, 171-173 Mounts Bay Road 6000, Perth, WA, Australia; Health and Medical Sciences (Library), The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Christos Symeonides
- Plastics, Minderoo Foundation, 171-173 Mounts Bay Road 6000, Perth, WA, Australia; Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Sarah A Dunlop
- Plastics, Minderoo Foundation, 171-173 Mounts Bay Road 6000, Perth, WA, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
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56
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Silva MG, Oliveira MM, Peixoto F. Assessing micro and nanoplastics toxicity using rodent models: Investigating potential mitochondrial implications. Toxicology 2023; 499:153656. [PMID: 37879514 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2023.153656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondria's role as a central hub in cellular metabolism and signaling cascades is well established in the scientific community, being a classic marker of organisms' response to toxicant exposure. Nonetheless, little is known concerning the effects of emerging contaminants, such as microplastics, on mitochondrial metabolism. Micro- and nanoplastics present one of the major problems faced by modern societies. What was once an environmental problem is now recognized as an one-health issue, but little is known concerning microplastic impact on human health. Indeed, only recently, human exposure to microplastics was acknowledged by the World Health Organization, resulting in a growing interest in this research topic. Nonetheless, the mechanisms behind micro- and nanoplastics toxicity are yet to be understood. Animal models, nowadays, are the most appropriate approach to uncovering this knowledge gap. In the present review article, we explore investigations from the last two years using rodent models and reach to find the molecular mechanism behind micro- and nanoplastics toxicity and if mitochondria can act as a target. Although no research article has addressed the effects of mitochondria yet, reports have highlighted molecular and biochemical alterations that could be linked to mitochondrial function. Furthermore, certain studies described the effects of disruptions in mitochondrial metabolism, such as oxidative stress. Micro- and nanoplastics may, directly and indirectly, affect this vital organelle. Investigations concerning this topic should be encouraged once they can bring us closer to understanding the mechanisms underlying these particles' harmful effects on human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónica G Silva
- Chemistry Research Centre (CQ-VR), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
| | - Maria Manuel Oliveira
- Chemistry Research Centre (CQ-VR), Chemistry Department, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Francisco Peixoto
- Chemistry Research Centre (CQ-VR), Biology and Environment Department University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
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57
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Ungureanu EL, Mocanu AL, Stroe CA, Duță DE, Mustățea G. Assessing Health Risks Associated with Heavy Metals in Food: A Bibliometric Analysis. Foods 2023; 12:3974. [PMID: 37959095 PMCID: PMC10649142 DOI: 10.3390/foods12213974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Bibliometric analysis is an effective method used to identify research trends based on historical publications that involves combining different frameworks, tools and methods, leading to the creation of different metrics. This study employed bibliometric analysis to investigate the global health risk assessment of heavy metals in food from 2000 to 2022 using Web of Science and VOSviewer. We explore publication trends, affiliations, countries, journals, citations, keywords and author collaborations. Of the 573 publications on this topic, there has been a notable increase in recent years. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (China) and Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (Iran) are the most prolific affiliations. Environmental Science and Pollution Research is the top journal. Notably, "heavy metals", "risk assessment", "cadmium", "lead", and "trace elements" are frequently used keywords. A study by Miraglia et al. in 2009 received the most citations. Amin Mousavi Khaneghah (Poland) is the most prolific author, with 24 papers. Articles mainly focus on contamination levels in fish, seafood, cereals, dairy, meat, and fruit/vegetables. Some studies highlight potential risks, necessitating stricter food product controls for consumer safety.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Gabriel Mustățea
- National Research & Development Institute for Food Bioresources, 020323 Bucharest, Romania; (E.L.U.); (A.L.M.); (C.A.S.); (D.E.D.)
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58
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Fries E, Sühring R. The unusual suspects: Screening for persistent, mobile, and toxic plastic additives in plastic leachates. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 335:122263. [PMID: 37499969 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Plastic additives are a diverse group of chemical compounds added to plastic products to give them their unique physical-chemical properties. Persistent, mobile, and toxic (PMT) plastic additives are a highly polar, environmentally stable sub-group of plastic additives with a variety of uses in plastic products. Due to their mobility into water, they can pose a significant long-term risk to the aquatic environment. Despite the potential threat, PMT plastic additives remain largely unregulated and under-studied. Notably, there is a need for dedicated analytical methodology and leaching studies to determine their potential emission from plastic products. Here we present an optimized leaching protocol and novel instrumental analysis method for the screening of 124 PMT plastic additives registered for use in Canada using high performance liquid chromatography with quantitative time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-QToF-MS). The analytical method covered a log Kow/Dow range between 0.21 and 6.02, which covered 72% of the PMT plastic additives used in Canada. A total of 52 PMT plastic additive suspects were leached in the optimization experiments, 44 of which were unique based on accurate mass and retention time. The conditions that resulted in the greatest numbers of PMT plastic additives leached were lake water, UV light exposure, and a timeframe of approximately 30 days. The analytical and leaching methods presented here offer new tools to study PMT plastic additives and assess their leaching in an environmentally relevant matrix, which can inform monitoring, threat assessment, and regulatory efforts moving forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Fries
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria St, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Roxana Sühring
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Toronto Metropolitan University, 350 Victoria St, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada.
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59
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Quade J, López-Ibáñez S, Beiras R. UV Dosage Unveils Toxic Properties of Weathered Commercial Bioplastic Bags. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:14807-14816. [PMID: 37750591 PMCID: PMC10569051 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c02193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies indicated that weathered conventional plastics and bioplastics pose ecotoxicological risks. Here, the effects of artificial and natural weathering on the ecotoxicity of three compostable bags and a conventional polyethylene (PE) bag are investigated. With that aim, a 21-day artificial indoor weathering experiment featuring UV light, UV-filtered light, and darkness was run simultaneously to a 120-day outdoor littoral mesocosm exposure featuring natural light, UV-filtered light, and shaded conditions. Acute toxicity of so-weathered plastic specimens was tested in vivo using the sensitive Paracentrotus lividus sea-urchin embryo test. PE was nontoxic from the beginning and did not gain toxicity due to UV weathering. In contrast, for bioplastics, dry artificial UV weathering increased toxicity in comparison to the dark control. Weathering in outdoor mesocosm led to a rapid loss of toxic properties due to leaching in rainwater. With a higher UV dosage, a plastic-type-dependent regain of toxicity was observed, most likely driven by enhanced availability or transformation of functional additives or due to bioplastic degradation products. PE showed moderate UV absorbance, while bioplastics showed high UV absorbance. This study highlights the potential of biodegradable plastics to pose enhanced ecotoxicological risk due to weathering under environmentally relevant conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Quade
- ECIMAT-CIM, Universidade de Vigo, Illa de Toralla, 36331 Vigo, Galicia, Spain
| | - Sara López-Ibáñez
- ECIMAT-CIM, Universidade de Vigo, Illa de Toralla, 36331 Vigo, Galicia, Spain
| | - Ricardo Beiras
- ECIMAT-CIM, Universidade de Vigo, Illa de Toralla, 36331 Vigo, Galicia, Spain
- Facultade
de Ciencias do Mar, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Galicia, Spain
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60
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Shi JX, Ciccia NR, Pal S, Kim DD, Brunn JN, Lizandara-Pueyo C, Ernst M, Haydl AM, Messersmith PB, Helms BA, Hartwig JF. Chemical Modification of Oxidized Polyethylene Enables Access to Functional Polyethylenes with Greater Reuse. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:21527-21537. [PMID: 37733607 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c07186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Polyethylene is a commodity material that is widely used because of its low cost and valuable properties. However, the lack of functional groups in polyethylene limits its use in applications that include adhesives, gas barriers, and plastic blends. The inertness of polyethylene makes it difficult to install groups that would enhance its properties and enable programmed chemical decomposition. To overcome these deficiencies, the installation of pendent functional groups that imbue polyethylene with enhanced properties is an attractive strategy to overcome its inherent limitations. Here, we describe strategies to derivatize oxidized polyethylene that contains both ketones and alcohols to monofunctional variants with bulk properties superior to those of unmodified polyethylene. Iridium-catalyzed transfer dehydrogenation with acetone furnished polyethylenes with only ketones, and ruthenium-catalyzed hydrogenation with hydrogen furnished polyethylenes with only alcohols. We demonstrate that the ratio of these functional groups can be controlled by reduction with stoichiometric hydride-containing reagents. The ketones and alcohols serve as sites to introduce esters and oximes onto the polymer, thereby improving surface and bulk properties over those of polyethylene. These esters and oximes were removed by hydrolysis to regenerate the original oxygenated polyethylenes, showing how functionalization can lead to materials with circularity. Waste polyethylenes were equally amenable to oxidative functionalization and derivatization of the oxidized material, showing that this low- or negative-value feedstock can be used to prepare materials of higher value. Finally, the derivatized polymers with distinct solubilities were separated from mechanically mixed plastic blends by selective dissolution, demonstrating that functionalization can lead to novel approaches for distinguishing and separating polymers from a mixture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jake X Shi
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Division of Chemical Sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Nicodemo R Ciccia
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Division of Chemical Sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Subhajit Pal
- Department of Materials Science and Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Diane D Kim
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - John N Brunn
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | | | | | | | - Phillip B Messersmith
- Department of Materials Science and Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Brett A Helms
- The Molecular Foundry and Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - John F Hartwig
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Division of Chemical Sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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61
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Peng X, Zhou J, Chen G, Tan J, Zhu Z. Profile, Tissue Distribution, and Time Trend of Bisphenol Plastic Additives in Freshwater Wildlife of the Pearl River Ecosystem, China. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2023; 42:2130-2142. [PMID: 37431940 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Plastic-related contaminants in the environment have attracted increasing attention, with plastic pollution becoming a serious issue globally. The present study investigated the potential bioaccumulation and biotransfer of bisphenol (BP) compounds that are widely added in various products such as plastics and other products in a freshwater ecosystem, China. Among commonly applied 14 BP analogues, bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol F (BPF), and bisphenol S (BPS) were predominant, representing 64%-100% of the total concentrations of BPs (ΣBPs) in freshwater wildlife. Both the concentrations and analogue profiles in the fish showed seasonal differences and species dependence. Higher BP concentrations were observed in fish collected during the dry season than the wet season. Higher percentages of non-BPA analogues (e.g., BPS and BPF) were observed in fish collected during the wet season. Pelagic species accumulated notably higher levels of BPs than midwater and bottom species. The liver generally contained the highest ΣBPs, followed successively by the swim bladder, belly fat, and dorsal muscle. The analogue profile also showed some differences among tissues, varying by species and season. Lower ΣBPs but higher percentages of non-BPA analogues were observed in female than male common carp. Time trends of the BPA concentration in fish varied by species, probably related to habitats and diets of the fish. Habitats, feeding behaviors, and trophic transfer may have significant impacts on exposure of wildlife to BPs in natural ecosystems. The BPs did not demonstrate strong potential for bioaccumulation. More research is warranted about metabolism and transgenerational transfer of BPs in wildlife to fully reveal the bioaccumulation and consequently ecological risks of these chemicals in the environment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:2130-2142. © 2023 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianzhi Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jing Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guangshi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jianhua Tan
- Guangzhou Quality Supervision and Testing Institute, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zewen Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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62
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Cordova MR, Bernier N, Yogaswara D, Subandi R, Wibowo SPA, Kaisupy MT, Haulussy J. Land-derived litter load to the Indian Ocean: a case study in the Cimandiri River, southern West Java, Indonesia. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:1251. [PMID: 37768383 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11831-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
The first study related to the characteristics of the riverine litter was carried out at the mouth of the Cimandiri River in the southern West Java to provide a national database, as mandated in the Indonesian Presidential Regulation 83/2018 concerning the handling of marine debris. We examined floating riverine litter entering the South Java Sea at Cimandiri River outlets four times between December 2020 and October 2021 using a Thomsea 1 T trawl-net. The amount of litter collected tended to rise throughout the sampling period. Daily floating riverine litter released into the South Java Sea was estimated to be 285,931 ± 133.70 items or 307 ± 192.69 kg. Our monitoring data revealed no sampling period differences in litter release into the South Java Sea with no correlation with rainfall. Our data indicate that plastics are the most single abundant type of floating riverine litter entering the South Java Sea from the Cimandiri River, accounting for 99.92% of abundance (285,701 ± 133,464.75 items per day) or 97.78% in terms of weight (300 ± 181.99 kg per day) of the total litter collected. As the Cimandiri River is one of the major rivers with an outlet in the south of Java, this land-derived litter information could be an archetype for riverine ecosystems in the nation and region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Reza Cordova
- Research Center for Oceanography, The Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta, Indonesia.
| | | | - Deny Yogaswara
- Research Center for Oceanography, The Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Riyana Subandi
- Research Center for Oceanography, The Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Singgih Prasetyo Adi Wibowo
- Research Center for Oceanography, The Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Muhammad Taufik Kaisupy
- Research Center for Oceanography, The Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta, Indonesia
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63
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Lehman-Chong A, Cox CL, Kinaci E, Burkert SE, Dodge ML, Rosmarin DM, Newell JA, Soh L, Gordon MB, Stanzione JF. Itaconic Acid as a Comonomer in Betulin-Based Thermosets via Sequential and Bulk Preparation. ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING 2023; 11:14216-14225. [PMID: 37771764 PMCID: PMC10526528 DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c04178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
The inherent chemical functionalities of biobased monomers enable the production of renewably sourced polymers that further advance sustainable manufacturing. Itaconic acid (IA) is a nontoxic, commercially produced biobased monomer that can undergo both UV and thermal curing. Betulin is a biocompatible, structurally complex diol derived from birch tree bark that has been recently studied for materials with diverse applications. Here, betulin, IA, and biobased linear diacids, 1,12-dodecanedioic acid (C12) and 1,18-octadecanedioic acid (C18), were used to prepare thermosets using sequential and bulk curing methods. Thermoplastic polyester precursors were synthesized and formulated into polyester-methacrylate (PM) resins to produce sequential UV-curable thermosets. Bulk-cured polyester thermosets were prepared using a one-pot, solventless melt polycondensation using glycerol as a cross-linker. The structure-property relationships of the thermoplastic polyester precursors, sequentially prepared PM thermosets, and bulk-cured polyester thermosets were evaluated with varying IA content. Both types of thermosets exhibited higher storage moduli, Tgs, and thermal stabilities with greater IA comonomer content. These results demonstrate the viability of using IA as a comonomer to produce betulin-based thermosets each with tunable properties, expanding the scope of their applications and use in polymeric materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra
M. Lehman-Chong
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
- Advanced
Materials & Manufacturing Institute (AMMI), Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
| | - Casey L. Cox
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
- Advanced
Materials & Manufacturing Institute (AMMI), Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
| | - Emre Kinaci
- Advanced
Materials & Manufacturing Institute (AMMI), Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
| | - Sarah E. Burkert
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lafayette College, 740 High Street, Easton, Pennsylvania 18042, United States
| | - Megan L. Dodge
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lafayette College, 740 High Street, Easton, Pennsylvania 18042, United States
| | - Devin M. Rosmarin
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lafayette College, 740 High Street, Easton, Pennsylvania 18042, United States
| | - James A. Newell
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
- Advanced
Materials & Manufacturing Institute (AMMI), Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
| | - Lindsay Soh
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lafayette College, 740 High Street, Easton, Pennsylvania 18042, United States
| | - Melissa B. Gordon
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Lafayette College, 740 High Street, Easton, Pennsylvania 18042, United States
| | - Joseph F. Stanzione
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
- Advanced
Materials & Manufacturing Institute (AMMI), Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, New Jersey 08028, United States
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64
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Muzeza C, Ngole-Jeme V, Msagati TAM. The Mechanisms of Plastic Food-Packaging Monomers' Migration into Food Matrix and the Implications on Human Health. Foods 2023; 12:3364. [PMID: 37761073 PMCID: PMC10529129 DOI: 10.3390/foods12183364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of packaging technology has become a crucial part of the food industry in today's modern societies, which are characterized by technological advancements, industrialization, densely populated cities, and scientific advancements that have increased food production over the past 50 years despite the lack of agricultural land. Various types of food-packaging materials are utilized, with plastic being the most versatile. However, there are certain concerns with regards to the usage of plastic packaging because of unreacted monomers' potential migration from the polymer packaging to the food. The magnitude of monomer migration depends on numerous aspects, including the monomer chemistry, type of plastic packaging, physical-chemical parameters such as the temperature and pH, and food chemistry. The major concern for the presence of packaging monomers in food is that some monomers are endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) with a capability to interfere with the functioning of vital hormonal systems in the human body. For this reason, different countries have resolved to enforce guidelines and regulations for packaging monomers in food. Additionally, many countries have introduced migration testing procedures and safe limits for packaging monomer migration into food. However, to date, several research studies have reported levels of monomer migration above the set migration limits due to leaching from the food-packaging materials into the food. This raises concerns regarding possible health effects on consumers. This paper provides a critical review on plastic food-contact materials' monomer migration, including that from biodegradable plastic packaging, the monomer migration mechanisms, the monomer migration chemistry, the key factors that affect the migration process, and the associated potential EDC human health risks linked to monomers' presence in food. The aim is to contribute to the existing knowledge and understanding of plastic food-packaging monomer migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celia Muzeza
- Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability (iNanoWS), College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Science Campus, Roodepoort, Johannesburg 1709, South Africa
- Department of Environmental Science, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Science Campus, Roodepoort, Johannesburg 1709, South Africa;
| | - Veronica Ngole-Jeme
- Department of Environmental Science, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Science Campus, Roodepoort, Johannesburg 1709, South Africa;
| | - Titus Alfred Makudali Msagati
- Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability (iNanoWS), College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Science Campus, Roodepoort, Johannesburg 1709, South Africa
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65
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Salmeia KA, Afaneh AT, Habash RR, Neels A. Trivinylphosphine Oxide: Synthesis, Characterization, and Polymerization Reactivity Investigated Using Single-Crystal Analysis and Density Functional Theory. Molecules 2023; 28:6097. [PMID: 37630349 PMCID: PMC10459575 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28166097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Organophosphorus chemicals are versatile and important in industry. Trivinylphosphine oxide (TVPO), for example, exhibited a promising precursor as a flame-retardant additive for industrial applications. Density functional theory (DFT) simulations were used to explore the kinetic and thermodynamic chemical processes underlying the nucleophilic addition reactions of TVPO in order to better understand their polymerization mechanisms. An experimental X-ray single-crystal study of TVPO supported this work's theory based on its computed findings. TVPO was prepared using POCl3 and VMB in a temperature-dependent reaction. TVPO, the thermodynamically favourable product, is preferentially produced at low temperatures. The endothermic anionic addition polymerization reaction between TVPO and VMB begins when the reaction temperature rises. An implicit solvation model simulated TVPO and piperazine reactions in water, whereas a hybrid model modelled VMB interactions in tetrahydrofuran. The simulations showed a pseudo-Michael addition reaction mechanism with a four-membered ring transition state. The Michael addition reaction is analogous to this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khalifah A. Salmeia
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Al-Balqa Applied University, Al-Salt 19117, Jordan;
- Laboratory for Advanced Fibers, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), 9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Akef T. Afaneh
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Al-Balqa Applied University, Al-Salt 19117, Jordan;
| | - Reem R. Habash
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Al-Balqa Applied University, Al-Salt 19117, Jordan;
| | - Antonia Neels
- Center for X-ray Analytics, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
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66
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Yang J, Kamstra J, Legler J, Aardema H. The impact of microplastics on female reproduction and early life. Anim Reprod 2023; 20:e20230037. [PMID: 37547566 PMCID: PMC10399130 DOI: 10.1590/1984-3143-ar2023-0037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Plastic pollution in our environment is one of the most important global health concerns right now. Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are taken up by both humans and animals, mainly via food and water, and can pass important epithelial barriers. Indications of plastics in the blood circulation have recently been shown in both humans and farm animals, but standardized methods to quantify the exact levels of MNPs to which we are exposed are currently lacking. Potential hazards of MNPs are being investigated very recently, including the impact that MNPs may have on reproduction. However, studies on mammalian reproduction are scarce, but a wealth of data from aquatic species indicates reproductive effects of MNPs. The first studies in rodent models demonstrate that MNPs reach the gonads after oral exposure and may impact offspring after maternal exposure during the gestational period. These effects may arise from the particles themselves or the presence of plastic contaminants that leach from plastics. Plastic contamination has been detected in human placentas, fetal fluid and the meconium of newborns, indicating the presence of plastics from the very first start of life. Currently there is a lack of studies that investigate the impact of MNP exposure during the periconception and embryonic period, whereas this is an extremely sensitive period that needs considerable attention with the growing amount of plastics in our environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Yang
- Farm Animal Health, Department of Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Department of Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Jorke Kamstra
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Department of Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Juliette Legler
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Department of Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Hilde Aardema
- Farm Animal Health, Department of Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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67
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Hettiarachchi H, Meegoda JN. Microplastic Pollution Prevention: The Need for Robust Policy Interventions to Close the Loopholes in Current Waste Management Practices. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:6434. [PMID: 37510666 PMCID: PMC10379618 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20146434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Plastic materials that are less than 5 mm in size are defined as Microplastics (MPs). MPs that are intentionally produced are called primary MPs; however, the most abundant type in the environment consists of the remainder created by the fragmentation of large plastic debris through physical, chemical, and oxidative processes, which are called secondary MPs. Due to their abundance in the environment, poor degradability, toxicological properties, and negative impact on aquatic and terrestrial organisms, including humans, MP pollution has become a global environmental issue. Combatting MP pollution requires both remediation and preventive measures. Although remediation is a must, considering where the technology stands today, it may take long time to make it happen. Prevention, on the other hand, can be and should be done now. However, the effectiveness of preventive measures depends heavily on how well MP escape routes are researched and understood. In this research, we argue that such escape routes (rather, loopholes) exist not only due to mismanaged plastic waste, but also due to cracks in the current waste management systems. One known MP loophole is facilitated by wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). The inability of existing WWTP to retain finer MPs, which are finally released to water bodies together with the treated wastewater, along with the return of captured larger MPs back to landfills and their release into the environment through land applications, are a few examples. Organic waste composting and upcycling of waste incineration ash provide other MP escape pathways. In addition, it is important to understand that the plastics that are in current circulation (active use as well as idling) are responsible for producing MPs through regular wear and tear. Closing these loopholes may be best attempted through policy interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jay N Meegoda
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University Heights, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
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68
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Beel G, Langford B, Carslaw N, Shaw D, Cowan N. Temperature driven variations in VOC emissions from plastic products and their fate indoors: A chamber experiment and modelling study. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 881:163497. [PMID: 37062317 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Plastic products are ubiquitous in our homes, but we know very little about emissions from these products and their subsequent impact on indoor air quality. This is the first study to systematically determine temperature-dependent emissions of volatile organic compounds from commonly used plastic consumer products found in the home. The plastic types included high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS) and polyester rubber. Plastic samples were exposed to increasing temperatures (between 18 and 28 °C) in controlled environmental chambers, connected to a proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass-spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS), where real-time emissions were detected. Average emission rates were determined and used to initialise an indoor air chemistry model (INCHEM-Py) at the highest and lowest experimental temperatures, to explore the impact these product emissions have on the indoor air chemistry. The PS tubing plastic proved to be the highest emitting polymer per surface area. Almost all selected VOC emissions were found to have a linear relationship with temperature. Upon observing the impacts of primary VOC emissions from plastics in modelled simulations, the hydroxyl radical concentration decreased by an average of 1.6 and 10 % relative to the baseline (with no plastics included) at 18 °C and 28 °C respectively. On the other hand, formaldehyde concentrations increased by 29 and 31.6 % relative to the baseline conditions at 18 °C and 28 °C respectively. The presence of plastic products indoors, therefore, has the potential to impact the indoor air quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia Beel
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Edinburgh EH26 0QB, United Kingdom; Department of Geography and Environment, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom.
| | - Ben Langford
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Edinburgh EH26 0QB, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola Carslaw
- Department of Geography and Environment, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - David Shaw
- Department of Geography and Environment, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas Cowan
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Edinburgh EH26 0QB, United Kingdom
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69
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Graf M, Greenfield LM, Reay MK, Bargiela R, Williams GB, Onyije C, Lloyd CEM, Bull ID, Evershed RP, Golyshin PN, Chadwick DR, Jones DL. Increasing concentration of pure micro- and macro-LDPE and PP plastic negatively affect crop biomass, nutrient cycling, and microbial biomass. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 458:131932. [PMID: 37390687 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
Over the last 50 years, the intense use of agricultural plastic in the form of mulch films has led to an accumulation of plastic in soil, creating a legacy of plastic in agricultural fields. Plastic often contains additives, however it is still largely unknown how these compounds affect soil properties, potentially influencing or masking effects of the plastic itself. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of pure plastics of varying sizes and concentrations, to improve our understanding of plastic-only interactions within soil-plant mesocosms. Maize (Zea mays L.) was grown over eight weeks following the addition of micro and macro low-density polyethylene and polypropylene at increasing concentrations (equivalent to 1, 10, 25, and 50 years mulch film use) and the effects of plastic on key soil and plant properties were measured. We found the effect of both macro and microplastic on soil and plant health is negligible in the short-term (1 to <10 years). However, ≥ 10 years of plastic application for both plastic types and sizes resulted in a clear negative effect on plant growth and microbial biomass. This study provides vital insight into the effect of both macro and microplastics on soil and plant properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martine Graf
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK.
| | - Lucy M Greenfield
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Michaela K Reay
- Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK
| | - Rafael Bargiela
- Centre of Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Gwion B Williams
- Centre of Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Charles Onyije
- Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK
| | - Charlotte E M Lloyd
- Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK
| | - Ian D Bull
- Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK
| | - Richard P Evershed
- Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TS, UK
| | - Peter N Golyshin
- Centre of Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
| | - David R Chadwick
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Davey L Jones
- School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK; Centre of Environmental Biotechnology, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK; SoilsWest, Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems, Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
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70
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Liu Z, Yu H, Lu L, Lv X, Ju G, Zhao J, Sun F, Wang Y, Yu W. Simultaneous Determination and Exposure Assessment of Antioxidants in Food Contact Plastic Materials by HPLC-MS/MS. J Food Prot 2023:100121. [PMID: 37355008 DOI: 10.1016/j.jfp.2023.100121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
Antioxidants are widely used to prevent oxidative degradation of food-contact plastics materials. However, when plastic products come into contact with food, antioxidants may contaminate food. Herein, twenty-three kinds of possible antioxidants were monitored in 257 products of seven polymers. The migration of antioxidants into the food simulants at different temperatures and times was detected by using HPLC-MS/MS. Risk assessment was performed based on the EU, U.S. FDA methods and Monte Carlo simulation. The antioxidants migrated mainly to fatty food simulant, with the highest concentration and occurrence frequency of Irgafos 168, followed byIrganox 1010, Irganox 1076, and Antioxidant LTDP in polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene. No antioxidants were detected in polystyrene, polycarbonate, and polyvinylidene chloride. Additionally, antioxidants exhibited the highest detection rate of 0.81 in polyethylene. Risk assessment demonstrated that the antioxidants have no obvious health risk to the exposed population. However, the risk of polypropylene was relatively high compared to other polymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze Liu
- School of Public Health, Qingdao University, 308 Ningxia Road, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, China
| | - Hongwei Yu
- Qingdao Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 175 Shandong Road, Qingdao 266033, Shandong, China
| | - Li Lu
- Qingdao Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 175 Shandong Road, Qingdao 266033, Shandong, China
| | - Xiaojing Lv
- Qingdao Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 175 Shandong Road, Qingdao 266033, Shandong, China
| | - Guangxiu Ju
- Qingdao Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 175 Shandong Road, Qingdao 266033, Shandong, China
| | - Jinquan Zhao
- Qingdao Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 175 Shandong Road, Qingdao 266033, Shandong, China
| | - Fenglin Sun
- Qingdao Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 175 Shandong Road, Qingdao 266033, Shandong, China
| | - Yong Wang
- Shimadzu (China) Co.,LTD. Beijing Branch, 16 Chaoyangmenwai Street, Beijing 100020, China
| | - Weisen Yu
- Qingdao Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 175 Shandong Road, Qingdao 266033, Shandong, China.
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71
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Muir DCG, Getzinger GJ, McBride M, Ferguson PL. How Many Chemicals in Commerce Have Been Analyzed in Environmental Media? A 50 Year Bibliometric Analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 37319372 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c09353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Over the past 50 years, there has been a tremendous expansion in the measurement of chemical contaminants in environmental media. But how many chemicals have actually been determined, and do they represent a significant fraction of substances in commerce or of chemicals of concern? To address these questions, we conducted a bibliometric survey to identify what individual chemicals have been determined in environmental media and their trends over the past 50 years. The CAplus database of CAS, a Division of the American Chemical Society, was searched for indexing roles "analytical study" and "pollutant" yielding a final list of 19,776 CAS Registry Numbers (CASRNs). That list was then used to link the CASRNs to biological studies, yielding a data set of 9.251 × 106 total counts of the CASRNs over a 55 year period. About 14,150 CASRNs were substances on various priority lists or their close analogs and transformation products. The top 100 most reported CASRNs accounted for 34% of the data set, confirming previous studies showing a significant bias toward repeated measurements of the same substances due to regulatory needs and the challenges of determining new, previously unmeasured, compounds. Substances listed in the industrial chemical inventories of Europe, China, and the United States accounted for only about 5% of measured substances. However, pharmaceuticals and current use pesticides were widely measured accounting for 50-60% of total CASRN counts for the period 2000-2015.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek C G Muir
- Environment & Climate Change Canada, Burlington, Ontario L7S1A1, Canada
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G2W1, Canada
| | - Gordon J Getzinger
- School of Environmental Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60660, United States
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Matt McBride
- CAS IP Services, CAS, Columbus, Ohio 43202, United States
| | - P Lee Ferguson
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
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Vlaanderen EJ, Ghaly TM, Moore LR, Focardi A, Paulsen IT, Tetu SG. Plastic leachate exposure drives antibiotic resistance and virulence in marine bacterial communities. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 327:121558. [PMID: 37019264 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Plastic pollution is a serious global problem, with more than 12 million tonnes of plastic waste entering the oceans every year. Plastic debris can have considerable impacts on microbial community structure and functions in marine environments, and has been associated with an enrichment in pathogenic bacteria and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. However, our understanding of these impacts is largely restricted to microbial assemblages on plastic surfaces. It is therefore unclear whether these effects are driven by the surface properties of plastics, providing an additional niche for certain microbes residing in biofilms, and/or chemicals leached from plastics, the effects of which could extend to surrounding planktonic bacteria. Here, we examine the effects of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic leachate exposure on the relative abundance of genes associated with bacterial pathogenicity and AMR within a seawater microcosm community. We show that PVC leachate, in the absence of plastic surfaces, drives an enrichment in AMR and virulence genes. In particular, leachate exposure significantly enriches AMR genes that confer multidrug, aminoglycoside and peptide antibiotic resistance. Additionally, enrichment of genes involved in the extracellular secretion of virulence proteins was observed among pathogens of marine organisms. This study provides the first evidence that chemicals leached from plastic particles alone can enrich genes related to microbial pathogenesis within a bacterial community, expanding our knowledge of the environmental impacts of plastic pollution with potential consequences for human and ecosystem health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric J Vlaanderen
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
| | - Timothy M Ghaly
- School of Natural Sciences Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Lisa R Moore
- School of Natural Sciences Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Amaranta Focardi
- Climate Change Cluster (C3), University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ian T Paulsen
- School of Natural Sciences Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Sasha G Tetu
- School of Natural Sciences Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
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73
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MacLeod M, Domercq P, Harrison S, Praetorius A. Computational models to confront the complex pollution footprint of plastic in the environment. NATURE COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE 2023; 3:486-494. [PMID: 38177416 DOI: 10.1038/s43588-023-00445-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
The threat posed by plastic in the environment is poorly characterized due to uncertainties and unknowns about sources, transport, transformation and removal processes, and the properties of the plastic pollution itself. Plastic creates a footprint of particulate pollution with a diversity of composition, size and shape, and a halo of chemicals. In this Perspective, we argue that process-based mass-balance models could provide a platform to synthesize knowledge about plastic pollution as a function of its measurable intrinsic properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew MacLeod
- Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Prado Domercq
- Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sam Harrison
- UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster, UK
| | - Antonia Praetorius
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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74
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Sharma S, Sharma V, Chatterjee S. Contribution of plastic and microplastic to global climate change and their conjoining impacts on the environment - A review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 875:162627. [PMID: 36889403 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Plastics are fossil fuel-derived products. The emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) during different processes involved in the lifecycle of plastic-related products are a significant threat to the environment as it contributes to global temperature rise. By 2050, a high volume of plastic production will be responsible for up to 13 % of our planet's total carbon budget. The global emissions of GHG and their persistence in the environment have depleted Earth's residual carbon resources and have generated an alarming feedback loop. Each year at least 8 million tonnes of discarded plastics are entering our oceans, creating concerns regarding plastic toxicity on marine biota as they end up in the food chain and ultimately affect human health. The unsuccessful management of plastic waste and its presence on the riverbanks, coastlines, and landscapes leads to the emission of a higher percentage of GHG in the atmosphere. The persistence of microplastics is also a significant threat to the fragile and extreme ecosystem containing diverse life forms with low genetic variation, making them vulnerable to climatic change. In this review, we have categorically discussed the contribution of plastic and plastic waste to global climate change covering the current plastic production and future trends, the types of plastics and plastic materials used globally, plastic lifecycle and GHG emission, and how microplastics become a major threat to ocean carbon sequestration and marine health. The conjoining impact of plastic pollution and climate change on the environment and human health has also been discussed in detail. In the end, we have also discussed some strategies to reduce the climate impact of plastics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivika Sharma
- Biochemical Conversion Division, Sardar Swaran Singh, National Institute of Bioenergy, Kapurthala, Punjab, India
| | - Vikas Sharma
- Department of Molecular Biology & Genetic Engineering, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara-Jalandhar, India
| | - Subhankar Chatterjee
- Bioremediation and Metabolomics Research Group, Dept. of Ecology & Environmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, R.V. Nagar, Kalapet, Puducherry 605 014, India.
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75
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Tastet V, Le Vée M, Bruyère A, Fardel O. Interactions of human drug transporters with chemical additives present in plastics: Potential consequences for toxicokinetics and health. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023:121882. [PMID: 37236587 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Human membrane drug transporters are recognized as major actors of pharmacokinetics; they also handle endogenous compounds, including hormones and metabolites. Chemical additives present in plastics interact with human drug transporters, which may have consequences for the toxicokinetics and toxicity of these widely-distributed environmental and/or dietary pollutants, to which humans are highly exposed. The present review summarizes key findings about this topic. In vitro assays have demonstrated that various plastic additives, including bisphenols, phthalates, brominated flame retardants, poly-alkyl phenols and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, can inhibit the activities of solute carrier uptake transporters and/or ATP-binding cassette efflux pumps. Some are substrates for transporters or can regulate their expression. The relatively low human concentration of plastic additives from environmental or dietary exposure is a key parameter to consider to appreciate the in vivo relevance of plasticizer-transporter interactions and their consequences for human toxicokinetics and toxicity of plastic additives, although even low concentrations of pollutants (in the nM range) may have clinical effects. Existing data about interactions of plastic additives with drug transporters remain somewhat sparse and incomplete. A more systematic characterization of plasticizer-transporter relationships is needed. The potential effects of chemical additive mixtures towards transporter activities and the identification of transporter substrates among plasticizers, as well as their interactions with transporters of emerging relevance deserve particular attention. A better understanding of the human toxicokinetics of plastic additives may help to fully integrate the possible contribution of transporters to the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of plastics-related chemicals, as well as to their deleterious effects towards human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentin Tastet
- Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, F-35000, Rennes, France
| | - Marc Le Vée
- Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, F-35000, Rennes, France
| | - Arnaud Bruyère
- Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, F-35000, Rennes, France
| | - Olivier Fardel
- Univ Rennes, CHU Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S 1085, F-35000, Rennes, France.
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76
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Almroth BC, Carle A, Blanchard M, Molinari F, Bour A. Single-use take-away cups of paper are as toxic to aquatic midge larvae as plastic cups. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 330:121836. [PMID: 37201566 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Single-use plastics and food packaging are the most common items polluting the environment, commonly identified in surveys and litter monitoring campaigns. There are pushes to ban these products from production and use in different regions, and to replace them with other materials viewed as "safer" or "more sustainable". Here, we address the potential environmental impacts of take-away cups and lids used for hot and cold beverages, consisting of plastic or paper. We produced leachates from plastic cups (polypropylene), lids (polystyrene), and paper cups (lined with polylactic acid), under conditions representative of plastic leaching in the environment. The packaging items were placed and left to leach in sediment and freshwater for up to four weeks, and we tested the toxicity of contaminated water and sediment separately. We used the model aquatic invertebrate Chironomus riparius and assessed multiple endpoints both on larval stages and on emergence to the adult phase. We observed a significant growth inhibition with all the materials tested when the larvae were exposed in contaminated sediment. Developmental delays were also observed for all materials, both in contaminated water and sediment. We investigated teratogenic effects via the analysis of mouthpart deformities in chironomid larvae, and observed significant effects on larvae exposed to polystyrene lid leachates (in sediment). Finally, a significant delay in time to emergence was observed for females exposed to paper cups leachates (in sediment). Overall, our results indicate that all the tested food packaging materials can have adverse effects on chironomids. These effects can be observed from one week of material leaching in environmental conditions, and tend to increase with increasing leaching time. Moreover, more effects were observed in contaminated sediment, indicating that benthic organisms might be especially at risk. This study highlights the risk posed by take-away packaging and their associated chemicals, once discarded into the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethanie Carney Almroth
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Alice Carle
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Marion Blanchard
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Francesca Molinari
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Agathe Bour
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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77
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James BD, Karchner SI, Walsh AN, Aluru N, Franks DG, Sullivan KR, Reddy CM, Ward CP, Hahn ME. Formulation Controls the Potential Neuromuscular Toxicity of Polyethylene Photoproducts in Developing Zebrafish. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:7966-7977. [PMID: 37186871 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c01932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Sunlight transforms plastic into water-soluble products, the potential toxicity of which remains unresolved, particularly for vertebrate animals. We evaluated acute toxicity and gene expression in developing zebrafish larvae after 5 days of exposure to photoproduced (P) and dark (D) leachates from additive-free polyethylene (PE) film and consumer-grade, additive-containing, conventional, and recycled PE bags. Using a "worst-case" scenario, with plastic concentrations exceeding those found in natural waters, we observed no acute toxicity. However, at the molecular level, RNA sequencing revealed differences in the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for each leachate treatment: thousands of genes (5442 P, 577 D) for the additive-free film, tens of genes for the additive-containing conventional bag (14 P, 7 D), and none for the additive-containing recycled bag. Gene ontology enrichment analyses suggested that the additive-free PE leachates disrupted neuromuscular processes via biophysical signaling; this was most pronounced for the photoproduced leachates. We suggest that the fewer DEGs elicited by the leachates from conventional PE bags (and none from recycled bags) could be due to differences in photoproduced leachate composition caused by titanium dioxide-catalyzed reactions not present in the additive-free PE. This work demonstrates that the potential toxicity of plastic photoproducts can be product formulation-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan D James
- Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | - Sibel I Karchner
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | - Anna N Walsh
- Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
- Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Neelakanteswar Aluru
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | - Diana G Franks
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | - Kallen R Sullivan
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | - Christopher M Reddy
- Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | - Collin P Ward
- Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
| | - Mark E Hahn
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, United States
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78
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Ghiglione JF, Barbe V, Bruzaud S, Burgaud G, Cachot J, Eyheraguibel B, Lartaud F, Ludwig W, Meistertzheim AL, Paul-Pont I, Pesant S, Ter Halle A, Thiebeauld O. Mission Tara Microplastics: a holistic set of protocols and data resources for the field investigation of plastic pollution along the land-sea continuum in Europe. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023:10.1007/s11356-023-26883-9. [PMID: 37140856 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-26883-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The Tara Microplastics mission was conducted for 7 months to investigate plastic pollution along nine major rivers in Europe-Thames, Elbe, Rhine, Seine, Loire, Garonne, Ebro, Rhone, and Tiber. An extensive suite of sampling protocols was applied at four to five sites on each river along a salinity gradient from the sea and the outer estuary to downstream and upstream of the first heavily populated city. Biophysicochemical parameters including salinity, temperature, irradiance, particulate matter, large and small microplastics (MPs) concentration and composition, prokaryote and microeukaryote richness, and diversity on MPs and in the surrounding waters were routinely measured onboard the French research vessel Tara or from a semi-rigid boat in shallow waters. In addition, macroplastic and microplastic concentrations and composition were determined on river banks and beaches. Finally, cages containing either pristine pieces of plastics in the form of films or granules, and others containing mussels were immersed at each sampling site, 1 month prior to sampling in order to study the metabolic activity of the plastisphere by meta-OMICS and to run toxicity tests and pollutants analyses. Here, we fully described the holistic set of protocols designed for the Mission Tara Microplastics and promoted standard procedures to achieve its ambitious goals: (1) compare traits of plastic pollution among European rivers, (2) provide a baseline of the state of plastic pollution in the Anthropocene, (3) predict their evolution in the frame of the current European initiatives, (4) shed light on the toxicological effects of plastic on aquatic life, (5) model the transport of microplastics from land towards the sea, and (6) investigate the potential impact of pathogen or invasive species rafting on drifting plastics from the land to the sea through riverine systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-François Ghiglione
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (LOMIC)/UMR 7621, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne, 1 Avenue Fabre, F-66650, Banyuls sur mer, France.
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans-GOSEE, Paris, France.
| | - Valérie Barbe
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
| | - Stéphane Bruzaud
- UMR CNRS 6027, IRDL, Université Bretagne Sud, 56100, Lorient, France
| | - Gaëtan Burgaud
- Univ Brest, INRAE, Laboratoire Universitaire de Biodiversité Et Écologie Microbienne, 29280, Plouzané, France
| | - Jérôme Cachot
- Université Bordeaux, EPOC CNRS, EPHE, Université de Bordeaux, UMR 5805, 33600, Pessac, France
| | - Boris Eyheraguibel
- CNRS, Université Clermont Auvergne, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand (ICCF), UMR6296, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Franck Lartaud
- CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire d'Ecogéochimie des Environnements Benthiques (LECOB)/UMR 8222, Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, Banyuls Sur Mer, France
| | - Wolfgang Ludwig
- CEFREM, UMR 5110, University of Perpignan - CNRS, 66860, Perpignan Cedex, France
| | | | - Ika Paul-Pont
- Ifremer, CNRS, IRD, LEMAR, Univ Brest, F-29280, Plouzané, France
| | - Stéphane Pesant
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, R2022/Tara Oceans-GOSEE, Paris, France
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Alexandra Ter Halle
- CNRS, Laboratoire des InteractionsMoléculaires EtRéactivité Chimique Et Photochimique (IMRCP), UMR 5623, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
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79
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Meng W, Sun H, Su G. Plastic packaging-associated chemicals and their hazards - An overview of reviews. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 331:138795. [PMID: 37116723 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Plastic packaging contains residues from substances used during manufacturing, such as solvents, as well as non-intentionally added substances (NIAS), such as impurities, oligomers, or degradation products. By searching peer-reviewed literature, we found that at least 10,259 chemicals were related to plastic packaging materials, which include chemicals used during manufacturing and/or present in final packaging items. We then summarized and discussed their chemical structures, analytical instruments, migration characteristics, and hazard categories where possible. For plastic packaging chemicals, examination of the literature reveals gas and liquid chromatography hyphenated to a variety of accurate mass analyzers based on the use of high-resolution mass spectrometry is usually used for the identification of unknown migrants coming from plastic packaging. Chemical migration from food packaging is affected by several parameters, including the nature and complexity of the food, contact time, temperature of the system, type of packaging contact layer, and properties of the migrants. A review of the literature reveals that information on adverse effects is only available for approximately 1600 substances. Among them, it appears that additives are more toxic than monomers to wildlife and humans. Neurotoxicity accounted for the highest proportion of toxicity of all types of chemicals, while benzenoids, organic acids, and derivatives were the most toxic types of chemicals. Furthermore, studies have demonstrated that hydrocarbon derivatives, organic nitrogen compounds, and organometallic compounds have the highest proportions of dermatotoxicity, and organohalogen compounds have the highest proportions of hepatotoxicity. The main contributors to skin sensitization are organic salts. This study provides a basis for comprehensively publicizing information on chemicals in plastics, and could be helpful to better understand their potential risks to the environment and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weikun Meng
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China
| | - Hao Sun
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China
| | - Guanyong Su
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China.
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80
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Meegoda JN, Hettiarachchi MC. A Path to a Reduction in Micro and Nanoplastics Pollution. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:ijerph20085555. [PMID: 37107837 PMCID: PMC10139116 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20085555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MP) are plastic particles less than 5 mm in size. There are two categories of MP: primary and secondary. Primary or microscopic-sized MP are intentionally produced material. Fragmentation of large plastic debris through physical, chemical, and oxidative processes creates secondary MP, the most abundant type in the environment. Microplastic pollution has become a global environmental problem due to their abundance, poor biodegradability, toxicological properties, and negative impact on aquatic and terrestrial organisms including humans. Plastic debris enters the aquatic environment via direct dumping or uncontrolled land-based sources. While plastic debris slowly degrades into MP, wastewater and stormwater outlets discharge a large amount of MP directly into water bodies. Additionally, stormwater carries MP from sources such as tire wear, artificial turf, fertilizers, and land-applied biosolids. To protect the environment and human health, the entry of MP into the environment must be reduced or eliminated. Source control is one of the best methods available. The existing and growing abundance of MP in the environment requires the use of multiple strategies to combat pollution. These strategies include reducing the usage, public outreach to eliminate littering, reevaluation and use of new wastewater treatment and sludge disposal methods, regulations on macro and MP sources, and a wide implementation of appropriate stormwater management practices such as filtration, bioretention, and wetlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay N. Meegoda
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-973-596-2464
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81
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Turner A, Filella M. The role of titanium dioxide on the behaviour and fate of plastics in the aquatic environment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 869:161727. [PMID: 36702284 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Although titanium dioxide (TiO2) is the most widely used pigment in plastics, there is limited quantitative information available for consumer goods and environmental samples. Moreover, and despite its photocatalytic activity, the potential impacts of TiO2 on the behaviour and fate of environmental plastics has received little attention. This paper compiles measurements of Ti in plastic samples from aquatic environments and in consumer goods that are known to make important contributions to environmental pollution. These data, along with a critical evaluation of experimental studies using TiO2-pigmented plastics, are used to formulate an understanding of how the pigment modifies the properties and persistence of environmental plastics. Titanium is heterogeneously distributed amongst different categories and sources of plastic, with concentrations ranging from <1 mg kg-1 in transparent-translucent materials to over 50,000 mg kg-1 in brightly coloured samples. Concentrations towards the higher end are sufficient to change positively buoyant polyolefins into negatively buoyant plastics, suggesting that environmental fractionation based on Ti content might occur. Accelerated leaching of TiO2 from aged plastic has been demonstrated empirically, and while mobilised particles are reported within a size range greater than biotically-active titania nanoparticles, modelling studies suggest that the latter could be derived from TiO2 pigments in the environment. Although rutile appears to be the most important polymorph of TiO2 in non-fibrous plastics, the degree and type of engineered surface modification in consumer and environmental plastics are generally unknown. Surface modification is likely to have a significant impact on the photo-oxidative degradation of plastics and the mobilisation of fine (and, possibly, nano-sized) TiO2 particles and requires further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Turner
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK.
| | - Montserrat Filella
- Department F.-A. Forel, University of Geneva, Boulevard Carl-Vogt 66, CH-1205 Geneva, Switzerland
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Escher BI, Altenburger R, Blüher M, Colbourne JK, Ebinghaus R, Fantke P, Hein M, Köck W, Kümmerer K, Leipold S, Li X, Scheringer M, Scholz S, Schloter M, Schweizer PJ, Tal T, Tetko I, Traidl-Hoffmann C, Wick LY, Fenner K. Modernizing persistence-bioaccumulation-toxicity (PBT) assessment with high throughput animal-free methods. Arch Toxicol 2023; 97:1267-1283. [PMID: 36952002 PMCID: PMC10110678 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-023-03485-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
The assessment of persistence (P), bioaccumulation (B), and toxicity (T) of a chemical is a crucial first step at ensuring chemical safety and is a cornerstone of the European Union's chemicals regulation REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals). Existing methods for PBT assessment are overly complex and cumbersome, have produced incorrect conclusions, and rely heavily on animal-intensive testing. We explore how new-approach methodologies (NAMs) can overcome the limitations of current PBT assessment. We propose two innovative hazard indicators, termed cumulative toxicity equivalents (CTE) and persistent toxicity equivalents (PTE). Together they are intended to replace existing PBT indicators and can also accommodate the emerging concept of PMT (where M stands for mobility). The proposed "toxicity equivalents" can be measured with high throughput in vitro bioassays. CTE refers to the toxic effects measured directly in any given sample, including single chemicals, substitution products, or mixtures. PTE is the equivalent measure of cumulative toxicity equivalents measured after simulated environmental degradation of the sample. With an appropriate panel of animal-free or alternative in vitro bioassays, CTE and PTE comprise key environmental and human health hazard indicators. CTE and PTE do not require analytical identification of transformation products and mixture components but instead prompt two key questions: is the chemical or mixture toxic, and is this toxicity persistent or can it be attenuated by environmental degradation? Taken together, the proposed hazard indicators CTE and PTE have the potential to integrate P, B/M and T assessment into one high-throughput experimental workflow that sidesteps the need for analytical measurements and will support the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability of the European Union.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beate I Escher
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, E04318, Leipzig, Germany.
- Environmental Toxicology, Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Schnarrenbergstr. 94-96, E72076, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Rolf Altenburger
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, E04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthias Blüher
- Helmholtz Institute for Metabolic, Obesity and Vascular Research (HI-MAG) of the Helmholtz Munich-German Research Centre for Environmental Health (GmbH) at the University of Leipzig and University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - John K Colbourne
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Ralf Ebinghaus
- Institute of Coastal Environmental Chemistry, Helmholtz Zentrum Hereon, Max-Planck-Straße 1, 21502, Geesthacht, Germany
| | - Peter Fantke
- Quantitative Sustainability Assessment, Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Produktionstorvet 424, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Michaela Hein
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, E04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Köck
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, E04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Klaus Kümmerer
- Institute of Sustainable and Environmental Chemistry, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Universitätsallee 1, 21335, Lüneburg, Germany
- International Sustainable Chemistry Collaboration Centre (ISC3), Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 32 + 36, D-53113, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sina Leipold
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, E04318, Leipzig, Germany
- Department for Political Science, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Bachstr. 18k, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Xiaojing Li
- Environmental Genomics Group, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Martin Scheringer
- Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zürich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Scholz
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, E04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Michael Schloter
- Comparative Microbiome Analysis, Environmental Health Centre, Helmholtz Munich - German Research Centre for Environmental Health (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Pia-Johanna Schweizer
- Research Institute for Sustainability-Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, Berliner Strasse 130, 14467, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Tamara Tal
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, E04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Igor Tetko
- Institute of Structural Biology, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Centre, Helmholtz Munich - German Research Centre for Environmental Health (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann
- Environmental Medicine Faculty of Medicine, University of Augsburg, Stenglinstrasse 2, 86156, Augsburg, Germany
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Environmental Health Centre, Helmholtz Munich - German Research Centre for Environmental Health (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Lukas Y Wick
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, E04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kathrin Fenner
- Department of Environmental Chemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zürich, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
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Landrigan PJ, Raps H, Cropper M, Bald C, Brunner M, Canonizado EM, Charles D, Chiles TC, Donohue MJ, Enck J, Fenichel P, Fleming LE, Ferrier-Pages C, Fordham R, Gozt A, Griffin C, Hahn ME, Haryanto B, Hixson R, Ianelli H, James BD, Kumar P, Laborde A, Law KL, Martin K, Mu J, Mulders Y, Mustapha A, Niu J, Pahl S, Park Y, Pedrotti ML, Pitt JA, Ruchirawat M, Seewoo BJ, Spring M, Stegeman JJ, Suk W, Symeonides C, Takada H, Thompson RC, Vicini A, Wang Z, Whitman E, Wirth D, Wolff M, Yousuf AK, Dunlop S. The Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health. Ann Glob Health 2023; 89:23. [PMID: 36969097 PMCID: PMC10038118 DOI: 10.5334/aogh.4056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 53.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Plastics have conveyed great benefits to humanity and made possible some of the most significant advances of modern civilization in fields as diverse as medicine, electronics, aerospace, construction, food packaging, and sports. It is now clear, however, that plastics are also responsible for significant harms to human health, the economy, and the earth's environment. These harms occur at every stage of the plastic life cycle, from extraction of the coal, oil, and gas that are its main feedstocks through to ultimate disposal into the environment. The extent of these harms not been systematically assessed, their magnitude not fully quantified, and their economic costs not comprehensively counted. Goals The goals of this Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health are to comprehensively examine plastics' impacts across their life cycle on: (1) human health and well-being; (2) the global environment, especially the ocean; (3) the economy; and (4) vulnerable populations-the poor, minorities, and the world's children. On the basis of this examination, the Commission offers science-based recommendations designed to support development of a Global Plastics Treaty, protect human health, and save lives. Report Structure This Commission report contains seven Sections. Following an Introduction, Section 2 presents a narrative review of the processes involved in plastic production, use, and disposal and notes the hazards to human health and the environment associated with each of these stages. Section 3 describes plastics' impacts on the ocean and notes the potential for plastic in the ocean to enter the marine food web and result in human exposure. Section 4 details plastics' impacts on human health. Section 5 presents a first-order estimate of plastics' health-related economic costs. Section 6 examines the intersection between plastic, social inequity, and environmental injustice. Section 7 presents the Commission's findings and recommendations. Plastics Plastics are complex, highly heterogeneous, synthetic chemical materials. Over 98% of plastics are produced from fossil carbon- coal, oil and gas. Plastics are comprised of a carbon-based polymer backbone and thousands of additional chemicals that are incorporated into polymers to convey specific properties such as color, flexibility, stability, water repellence, flame retardation, and ultraviolet resistance. Many of these added chemicals are highly toxic. They include carcinogens, neurotoxicants and endocrine disruptors such as phthalates, bisphenols, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), brominated flame retardants, and organophosphate flame retardants. They are integral components of plastic and are responsible for many of plastics' harms to human health and the environment.Global plastic production has increased almost exponentially since World War II, and in this time more than 8,300 megatons (Mt) of plastic have been manufactured. Annual production volume has grown from under 2 Mt in 1950 to 460 Mt in 2019, a 230-fold increase, and is on track to triple by 2060. More than half of all plastic ever made has been produced since 2002. Single-use plastics account for 35-40% of current plastic production and represent the most rapidly growing segment of plastic manufacture.Explosive recent growth in plastics production reflects a deliberate pivot by the integrated multinational fossil-carbon corporations that produce coal, oil and gas and that also manufacture plastics. These corporations are reducing their production of fossil fuels and increasing plastics manufacture. The two principal factors responsible for this pivot are decreasing global demand for carbon-based fuels due to increases in 'green' energy, and massive expansion of oil and gas production due to fracking.Plastic manufacture is energy-intensive and contributes significantly to climate change. At present, plastic production is responsible for an estimated 3.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than the contribution of Brazil. This fraction is projected to increase to 4.5% by 2060 if current trends continue unchecked. Plastic Life Cycle The plastic life cycle has three phases: production, use, and disposal. In production, carbon feedstocks-coal, gas, and oil-are transformed through energy-intensive, catalytic processes into a vast array of products. Plastic use occurs in every aspect of modern life and results in widespread human exposure to the chemicals contained in plastic. Single-use plastics constitute the largest portion of current use, followed by synthetic fibers and construction.Plastic disposal is highly inefficient, with recovery and recycling rates below 10% globally. The result is that an estimated 22 Mt of plastic waste enters the environment each year, much of it single-use plastic and are added to the more than 6 gigatons of plastic waste that have accumulated since 1950. Strategies for disposal of plastic waste include controlled and uncontrolled landfilling, open burning, thermal conversion, and export. Vast quantities of plastic waste are exported each year from high-income to low-income countries, where it accumulates in landfills, pollutes air and water, degrades vital ecosystems, befouls beaches and estuaries, and harms human health-environmental injustice on a global scale. Plastic-laden e-waste is particularly problematic. Environmental Findings Plastics and plastic-associated chemicals are responsible for widespread pollution. They contaminate aquatic (marine and freshwater), terrestrial, and atmospheric environments globally. The ocean is the ultimate destination for much plastic, and plastics are found throughout the ocean, including coastal regions, the sea surface, the deep sea, and polar sea ice. Many plastics appear to resist breakdown in the ocean and could persist in the global environment for decades. Macro- and micro-plastic particles have been identified in hundreds of marine species in all major taxa, including species consumed by humans. Trophic transfer of microplastic particles and the chemicals within them has been demonstrated. Although microplastic particles themselves (>10 µm) appear not to undergo biomagnification, hydrophobic plastic-associated chemicals bioaccumulate in marine animals and biomagnify in marine food webs. The amounts and fates of smaller microplastic and nanoplastic particles (MNPs <10 µm) in aquatic environments are poorly understood, but the potential for harm is worrying given their mobility in biological systems. Adverse environmental impacts of plastic pollution occur at multiple levels from molecular and biochemical to population and ecosystem. MNP contamination of seafood results in direct, though not well quantified, human exposure to plastics and plastic-associated chemicals. Marine plastic pollution endangers the ocean ecosystems upon which all humanity depends for food, oxygen, livelihood, and well-being. Human Health Findings Coal miners, oil workers and gas field workers who extract fossil carbon feedstocks for plastic production suffer increased mortality from traumatic injury, coal workers' pneumoconiosis, silicosis, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. Plastic production workers are at increased risk of leukemia, lymphoma, hepatic angiosarcoma, brain cancer, breast cancer, mesothelioma, neurotoxic injury, and decreased fertility. Workers producing plastic textiles die of bladder cancer, lung cancer, mesothelioma, and interstitial lung disease at increased rates. Plastic recycling workers have increased rates of cardiovascular disease, toxic metal poisoning, neuropathy, and lung cancer. Residents of "fenceline" communities adjacent to plastic production and waste disposal sites experience increased risks of premature birth, low birth weight, asthma, childhood leukemia, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer.During use and also in disposal, plastics release toxic chemicals including additives and residual monomers into the environment and into people. National biomonitoring surveys in the USA document population-wide exposures to these chemicals. Plastic additives disrupt endocrine function and increase risk for premature births, neurodevelopmental disorders, male reproductive birth defects, infertility, obesity, cardiovascular disease, renal disease, and cancers. Chemical-laden MNPs formed through the environmental degradation of plastic waste can enter living organisms, including humans. Emerging, albeit still incomplete evidence indicates that MNPs may cause toxicity due to their physical and toxicological effects as well as by acting as vectors that transport toxic chemicals and bacterial pathogens into tissues and cells.Infants in the womb and young children are two populations at particularly high risk of plastic-related health effects. Because of the exquisite sensitivity of early development to hazardous chemicals and children's unique patterns of exposure, plastic-associated exposures are linked to increased risks of prematurity, stillbirth, low birth weight, birth defects of the reproductive organs, neurodevelopmental impairment, impaired lung growth, and childhood cancer. Early-life exposures to plastic-associated chemicals also increase the risk of multiple non-communicable diseases later in life. Economic Findings Plastic's harms to human health result in significant economic costs. We estimate that in 2015 the health-related costs of plastic production exceeded $250 billion (2015 Int$) globally, and that in the USA alone the health costs of disease and disability caused by the plastic-associated chemicals PBDE, BPA and DEHP exceeded $920 billion (2015 Int$). Plastic production results in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions equivalent to 1.96 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2e) annually. Using the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) social cost of carbon metric, we estimate the annual costs of these GHG emissions to be $341 billion (2015 Int$).These costs, large as they are, almost certainly underestimate the full economic losses resulting from plastics' negative impacts on human health and the global environment. All of plastics' economic costs-and also its social costs-are externalized by the petrochemical and plastic manufacturing industry and are borne by citizens, taxpayers, and governments in countries around the world without compensation. Social Justice Findings The adverse effects of plastics and plastic pollution on human health, the economy and the environment are not evenly distributed. They disproportionately affect poor, disempowered, and marginalized populations such as workers, racial and ethnic minorities, "fenceline" communities, Indigenous groups, women, and children, all of whom had little to do with creating the current plastics crisis and lack the political influence or the resources to address it. Plastics' harmful impacts across its life cycle are most keenly felt in the Global South, in small island states, and in disenfranchised areas in the Global North. Social and environmental justice (SEJ) principles require reversal of these inequitable burdens to ensure that no group bears a disproportionate share of plastics' negative impacts and that those who benefit economically from plastic bear their fair share of its currently externalized costs. Conclusions It is now clear that current patterns of plastic production, use, and disposal are not sustainable and are responsible for significant harms to human health, the environment, and the economy as well as for deep societal injustices.The main driver of these worsening harms is an almost exponential and still accelerating increase in global plastic production. Plastics' harms are further magnified by low rates of recovery and recycling and by the long persistence of plastic waste in the environment.The thousands of chemicals in plastics-monomers, additives, processing agents, and non-intentionally added substances-include amongst their number known human carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxicants, and persistent organic pollutants. These chemicals are responsible for many of plastics' known harms to human and planetary health. The chemicals leach out of plastics, enter the environment, cause pollution, and result in human exposure and disease. All efforts to reduce plastics' hazards must address the hazards of plastic-associated chemicals. Recommendations To protect human and planetary health, especially the health of vulnerable and at-risk populations, and put the world on track to end plastic pollution by 2040, this Commission supports urgent adoption by the world's nations of a strong and comprehensive Global Plastics Treaty in accord with the mandate set forth in the March 2022 resolution of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).International measures such as a Global Plastics Treaty are needed to curb plastic production and pollution, because the harms to human health and the environment caused by plastics, plastic-associated chemicals and plastic waste transcend national boundaries, are planetary in their scale, and have disproportionate impacts on the health and well-being of people in the world's poorest nations. Effective implementation of the Global Plastics Treaty will require that international action be coordinated and complemented by interventions at the national, regional, and local levels.This Commission urges that a cap on global plastic production with targets, timetables, and national contributions be a central provision of the Global Plastics Treaty. We recommend inclusion of the following additional provisions:The Treaty needs to extend beyond microplastics and marine litter to include all of the many thousands of chemicals incorporated into plastics.The Treaty needs to include a provision banning or severely restricting manufacture and use of unnecessary, avoidable, and problematic plastic items, especially single-use items such as manufactured plastic microbeads.The Treaty needs to include requirements on extended producer responsibility (EPR) that make fossil carbon producers, plastic producers, and the manufacturers of plastic products legally and financially responsible for the safety and end-of-life management of all the materials they produce and sell.The Treaty needs to mandate reductions in the chemical complexity of plastic products; health-protective standards for plastics and plastic additives; a requirement for use of sustainable non-toxic materials; full disclosure of all components; and traceability of components. International cooperation will be essential to implementing and enforcing these standards.The Treaty needs to include SEJ remedies at each stage of the plastic life cycle designed to fill gaps in community knowledge and advance both distributional and procedural equity.This Commission encourages inclusion in the Global Plastic Treaty of a provision calling for exploration of listing at least some plastic polymers as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention.This Commission encourages a strong interface between the Global Plastics Treaty and the Basel and London Conventions to enhance management of hazardous plastic waste and slow current massive exports of plastic waste into the world's least-developed countries.This Commission recommends the creation of a Permanent Science Policy Advisory Body to guide the Treaty's implementation. The main priorities of this Body would be to guide Member States and other stakeholders in evaluating which solutions are most effective in reducing plastic consumption, enhancing plastic waste recovery and recycling, and curbing the generation of plastic waste. This Body could also assess trade-offs among these solutions and evaluate safer alternatives to current plastics. It could monitor the transnational export of plastic waste. It could coordinate robust oceanic-, land-, and air-based MNP monitoring programs.This Commission recommends urgent investment by national governments in research into solutions to the global plastic crisis. This research will need to determine which solutions are most effective and cost-effective in the context of particular countries and assess the risks and benefits of proposed solutions. Oceanographic and environmental research is needed to better measure concentrations and impacts of plastics <10 µm and understand their distribution and fate in the global environment. Biomedical research is needed to elucidate the human health impacts of plastics, especially MNPs. Summary This Commission finds that plastics are both a boon to humanity and a stealth threat to human and planetary health. Plastics convey enormous benefits, but current linear patterns of plastic production, use, and disposal that pay little attention to sustainable design or safe materials and a near absence of recovery, reuse, and recycling are responsible for grave harms to health, widespread environmental damage, great economic costs, and deep societal injustices. These harms are rapidly worsening.While there remain gaps in knowledge about plastics' harms and uncertainties about their full magnitude, the evidence available today demonstrates unequivocally that these impacts are great and that they will increase in severity in the absence of urgent and effective intervention at global scale. Manufacture and use of essential plastics may continue. However, reckless increases in plastic production, and especially increases in the manufacture of an ever-increasing array of unnecessary single-use plastic products, need to be curbed.Global intervention against the plastic crisis is needed now because the costs of failure to act will be immense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip J. Landrigan
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Medical Biology Department, MC
| | - Hervé Raps
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, Medical Biology Department, MC
| | - Maureen Cropper
- Economics Department, University of Maryland, College Park, US
| | - Caroline Bald
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Patrick Fenichel
- Université Côte d’Azur
- Centre Hospitalier, Universitaire de Nice, FR
| | - Lora E. Fleming
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, UK
| | | | | | | | - Carly Griffin
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | - Mark E. Hahn
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, US
- Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health, US
| | - Budi Haryanto
- Department of Environmental Health, Universitas Indonesia, ID
- Research Center for Climate Change, Universitas Indonesia, ID
| | - Richard Hixson
- College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, UK
| | - Hannah Ianelli
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | - Bryan D. James
- Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
- Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, US
| | | | - Amalia Laborde
- Department of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of the Republic, UY
| | | | - Keith Martin
- Consortium of Universities for Global Health, US
| | - Jenna Mu
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | | | - Adetoun Mustapha
- Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria
- Lead City University, NG
| | - Jia Niu
- Department of Chemistry, Boston College, US
| | - Sabine Pahl
- University of Vienna, Austria
- University of Plymouth, UK
| | | | - Maria-Luiza Pedrotti
- Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche sur mer (LOV), Sorbonne Université, FR
| | | | | | - Bhedita Jaya Seewoo
- Minderoo Foundation, AU
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, AU
| | | | - John J. Stegeman
- Biology Department and Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, US
| | - William Suk
- Superfund Research Program, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, US
| | | | - Hideshige Takada
- Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry (LOG), Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, JP
| | | | | | - Zhanyun Wang
- Technology and Society Laboratory, WEmpa-Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials and Technology, CH
| | - Ella Whitman
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | | | | | - Aroub K. Yousuf
- Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, US
| | - Sarah Dunlop
- Minderoo Foundation, AU
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, AU
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Malik S, Maurya A, Khare SK, Srivastava KR. Computational Exploration of Bio-Degradation Patterns of Various Plastic Types. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15061540. [PMID: 36987320 PMCID: PMC10056476 DOI: 10.3390/polym15061540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Plastic materials are recalcitrant in the open environment, surviving for longer without complete remediation. The current disposal methods of used plastic material are inefficient; consequently, plastic wastes are infiltrating the natural resources of the biosphere. The mixed composition of urban domestic waste with different plastic types makes them unfavorable for recycling; however, natural assimilation in situ is still an option to explore. In this research work, we have utilized previously published reports on the biodegradation of various plastics types and analyzed the pattern of microbial degradation. Our results demonstrate that the biodegradation of plastic material follows the chemical classification of plastic types based on their main molecular backbone. The clustering analysis of various plastic types based on their biodegradation reports has grouped them into two broad categories of C-C (non-hydrolyzable) and C-X (hydrolyzable). The C-C and C-X groups show a statistically significant difference in their biodegradation pattern at the genus level. The Bacilli class of bacteria is found to be reported more often in the C-C category, which is challenging to degrade compared to C-X. Genus enrichment analysis suggests that Pseudomonas and Bacillus from bacteria and Aspergillus and Penicillium from fungi are potential genera for the bioremediation of mixed plastic waste. The lack of uniformity in reporting the results of microbial degradation of plastic also needs to be addressed to enable productive growth in the field. Overall, the result points towards the feasibility of a microbial-based biodegradation solution for mixed plastic waste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunny Malik
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Faridabad 121002, Haryana, India
| | - Ankita Maurya
- Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, Delhi, India
| | - Sunil Kumar Khare
- Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, Delhi, India
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Yu JT, Diamond ML, Helm PA. A fit-for-purpose categorization scheme for microplastic morphologies. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2023; 19:422-435. [PMID: 35686603 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Microplastic categorization schemes are diverse, thereby posing challenges for cross-study comparisons. Further, categorization schemes are not necessarily aligned with and, thus, useful for applications such as source reduction initiatives. To address these challenges, we propose a hierarchical categorization approach that is "fit for purpose" to enable the use of a scheme that is tailored to the study's purpose and contains categories, which, if adopted, would facilitate interstudy comparison. The hierarchical categorization scheme is flexible to support various study purposes (e.g., to support regulation and toxicity assessment) and it aims to improve the consistency and comparability of microplastics categorization. Categorization is primarily based on morphology, supplemented by other identification methods as needed (e.g., spectroscopy). The use of the scheme was illustrated through a literature review aimed at critically evaluating the categories used for reporting microplastic morphologies in North American freshwater environments. Categorization and grouping schemes for microplastic particles were highly variable, with up to 19 different categories used across 68 studies, and nomenclature was inconsistent across particle morphologies. Our review demonstrates the necessity for a "fit for purpose" categorization scheme to guide the information needs of scientists and decision-makers for various research and regulatory objectives across global, regional, and local scales. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:422-435. © 2022 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine T Yu
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Miriam L Diamond
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- School of the Environment, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Paul A Helm
- School of the Environment, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Dusza HM, van Boxel J, van Duursen MBM, Forsberg MM, Legler J, Vähäkangas KH. Experimental human placental models for studying uptake, transport and toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 860:160403. [PMID: 36417947 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are ubiquitous in the environment and have recently been found in human lungs, blood and placenta. However, data on the possible effects of MNPs on human health is extremely scarce. The potential toxicity of MNPs during pregnancy, a period of increased susceptibility to environmental insults, is of particular concern. The placenta provides a unique interface between maternal and fetal circulation which is essential for in utero survival and healthy pregnancy. Placental toxicokinetics and toxicity of MNPs are still largely unexplored and the limited studies performed up to now focus mainly on polystyrene particles. Practical and ethical considerations limit research options in humans, and extrapolation from animal studies is challenging due to marked differences between species. Nevertheless, diverse in vitro and ex vivo human placental models exist e.g., plasma membrane vesicles, mono-culture and co-culture of placental cells, placenta-on-a-chip, villous tissue explants, and placental perfusion that can be used to advance this research area. The objective of this concise review is to recapitulate different human placental models, summarize the current understanding of placental uptake, transport and toxicity of MNPs and define knowledge gaps. Moreover, we provide perspectives for future research urgently needed to assess the potential hazards and risks of MNP exposure to maternal and fetal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna M Dusza
- Division of Toxicology, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Department of Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Jeske van Boxel
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Majorie B M van Duursen
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Markus M Forsberg
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Juliette Legler
- Division of Toxicology, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Department of Population Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Kirsi H Vähäkangas
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
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Potential of Advanced Oxidation as Pretreatment for Microplastics Biodegradation. SEPARATIONS 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/separations10020132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
In the last two decades, microplastics (MP) have been identified as an emerging environmental pollutant. Due to their small size, MP particles may easily enter the food chain, where they can have adverse effects on organisms and the environment in general. The common methods for the removal of pollutants from the environment are not fully effective in the elimination of MP; thus, it is necessary to find a more suitable treatment method(s). Among the various approaches tested, biodegradation is by far the most environmentally friendly and economically acceptable remediation approach. However, it has serious drawbacks, generally related to the rather low removal rate and often insufficient efficiency. Therefore, it would be beneficial to use some of the less economical but more efficient methods as pretreatment prior to biodegradation. Such pretreatment would primarily serve to increase the roughness and hydrophilicity of the surface of MP, making it more susceptible to bioassimilation. This review focuses on advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) as treatment methods that can enhance the biodegradation of MP particles. It considers MP particles of the six most commonly used plastic polymers, namely: polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate and polyurethane. The review highlights organisms with a high potential for biodegradation of selected MP particles and presents the potential benefits that AOP pretreatment can provide for MP biodegradation.
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88
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Cook E, Derks M, Velis CA. Plastic waste reprocessing for circular economy: A systematic scoping review of risks to occupational and public health from legacy substances and extrusion. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 859:160385. [PMID: 36427715 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The global plastics reprocessing sector is likely expand as the circular economy becomes more established and efforts to curb plastic pollution increase. Via a critical systematic scoping review (PRISMA-ScR), we focused on two critical challenges for occupational and public health that will require consideration along with this expansion: (1) Legacy contamination in secondary plastics, addressing the risk of materials and substances being inherited from the previous use and carried (circulated or transferred) through into new products when reprocessed material enters its subsequent use phase (recycled, secondary plastic); and, (2) Extrusion of secondary plastics during the final stage of conventional mechanical reprocessing. Based on selected literature, we semi-quantitatively assessed nine risk scenarios and ranked them according to the comparative magnitude of risk to human health. Our analysis highlights that despite stringent regulation, industrial diligence and enforcement, occasionally small amounts of potentially hazardous substances contained in waste plastics are able to pass through established safeguards and re-enter (cascade into) the next use phase (product cycle) after being recycled. Although many of these 'inherited' chemical substances are present at concentrations unlikely to pose a serious and imminent threat, their existence may indicate a wider or possible increase in pollution dispersion. Our assessment indicates that the highest risk results from exposure to these substances during extrusion by mechanical reprocessors in contexts where only passive ventilation, dilution and dispersion are used as control measures. Our work sets the basis to inform improved future risk management protocols for a non-polluting circular economy for plastics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ed Cook
- School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Michiel Derks
- School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom; M&A Transaction Services, Deloitte, London EC4A 3HQ, United Kingdom
| | - Costas A Velis
- School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom.
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89
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Leoni C, Majorani C, Cresti R, Marcello I, Berardi E, Fava L, Attias L, D'Ilio S. Determination and risk assessment of phthalates in face masks. An Italian study. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 443:130176. [PMID: 36283214 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Serious human health concerns have been recently raised from daily use of face masks, due to the possible presence of hazardous compounds as the phthalic acid esters (PAEs). In this study, the content of 11 PAEs in 35 commercial masks was assessed by applying a specific and accurate method, using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry. Surgical, FFP2 and non-surgical models, for both adults and children were collected from the Italian market. Analyses showed that four of the target analytes were detected in all tested samples with median total concentrations ranging between 23.6 mg/kg and 54.3 mg/kg. Results obtained from the experimental analysis were used in the risk assessment studies carried out for both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects. Doses of exposure (Dexp) of PAEs ranged from 6.43 × 10-5 mg/kg bw/day to 1.43 × 10-2 mg/kg bw/day. Cumulative risk assessment was performed for non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic effects. No potential risk was found for non-carcinogenic effects, yet the 20% of the mask samples showed potential carcinogenic effects for humans. A refined exposure assessment was performed showing no risk for carcinogenic effects. This paper presents a risk assessment approach for the identification of potential risks associated to the use of face masks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Leoni
- National Centre for Chemicals, Cosmetic Products and Consumer Health Protection, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
| | - Costanza Majorani
- National Centre for Chemicals, Cosmetic Products and Consumer Health Protection, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
| | - Raffaella Cresti
- National Centre for Chemicals, Cosmetic Products and Consumer Health Protection, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Ida Marcello
- National Centre for Chemicals, Cosmetic Products and Consumer Health Protection, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Luca Fava
- National Centre for Chemicals, Cosmetic Products and Consumer Health Protection, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Leonello Attias
- National Centre for Chemicals, Cosmetic Products and Consumer Health Protection, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Sonia D'Ilio
- National Centre for Chemicals, Cosmetic Products and Consumer Health Protection, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
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90
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Eliso MC, Bergami E, Bonciani L, Riccio R, Belli G, Belli M, Corsi I, Spagnuolo A. Application of transcriptome profiling to inquire into the mechanism of nanoplastics toxicity during Ciona robusta embryogenesis. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 318:120892. [PMID: 36529345 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The growing concern on nanoplastics (<1 μm) impact on marine life has stimulated a significant amount of studies aiming to address ecotoxicity and disclose their mechanisms of action. Here, we applied an integrative approach to develop an Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) upon acute exposure to amino-modified polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NH2 NPs, 50 nm), as proxy for nanoplastics, during the embryogenesis of the chordate Ciona robusta. Genes related to glutathione metabolism, immune defense, nervous system, transport by aquaporins and energy metabolism were affected by either concentration tested of 10 or 15 μg mL-1 of PS-NH2. Transcriptomic data and in vivo experiments were assembled into two putative AOPs, identifying as key events the adhesion of PS-NH2 as (molecular) initiating event, followed by oxidative stress, changes in transcription of specific genes, morphological defects, increase in reactive oxygen species level, impaired swimming behavior. As final adverse outcomes, altered larval development, reduced metamorphosis and inhibition of hatching were identified. Our study attempts to define AOPs for PS-NH2 without excluding that chemicals leaching from them might also have a potential role in the observed outcome. Overall data provide new insights into the mechanism of action of PS-NH2 NPs during chordate embryogenesis and offer further keys for a better knowledge of nanoplastics impact on early stages of marine life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Concetta Eliso
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121, Naples, Italy.
| | - Elisa Bergami
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 213/D, 41125, Modena (MO), Italy
| | - Lisa Bonciani
- BioChemie LAB, Via di Limite, 27G, 50013, Campi Bisenzio, FI, Italy
| | - Roberto Riccio
- BioChemie LAB, Via di Limite, 27G, 50013, Campi Bisenzio, FI, Italy
| | - Giulia Belli
- BioChemie LAB, Via di Limite, 27G, 50013, Campi Bisenzio, FI, Italy
| | - Mattia Belli
- BioChemie LAB, Via di Limite, 27G, 50013, Campi Bisenzio, FI, Italy
| | - Ilaria Corsi
- Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Antonietta Spagnuolo
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121, Naples, Italy
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91
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Current trends of unsustainable plastic production and micro(nano)plastic pollution. Trends Analyt Chem 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2023.116984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
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92
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Abbasi G, Hauser M, Baldé CP, Bouman EA. A high-resolution dynamic probabilistic material flow analysis of seven plastic polymers; A case study of Norway. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2023; 172:107693. [PMID: 36701835 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Plastic pollution has long been identified as one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century. To tackle this problem, governments are setting stringent recycling targets to keep plastics in a closed loop. Yet, knowledge of the stocks and flows of plastic has not been well integrated into policies. This study presents a dynamic probabilistic economy-wide material flow analysis (MFA) of seven plastic polymers (HDPE, LDPE, PP, PS, PVC, EPS, and PET) in Norway from 2000 to 2050. A total of 40 individual product categories aggregated into nine industrial sectors were examined. An estimated 620 ± 23 kt or 114 kg/capita of these seven plastic polymers was put on the Norwegian market in 2020. Packaging products contributed to the largest share of plastic put on the market (∼40%). The accumulated in-use stock in 2020 was about 3400 ± 56 kt with ∼60% remaining in buildings and construction sector. In 2020, about 460 ± 22 kt of plastic waste was generated in Norway, with half originating from packaging. Although ∼50% of all plastic waste is collected separately from the waste stream, only around 25% is sorted for recycling. Overall, ∼50% of plastic waste is incinerated, ∼15% exported, and ∼10% landfilled. Under a business-as-usual scenario, the plastic put on the market, in-use stock, and waste generation will increase by 65%, 140%, and 90%, respectively by 2050. The outcomes of this work can be used as a guideline for other countries to establish the stocks and flows of plastic polymers from various industrial sectors which is needed for the implementation of necessary regulatory actions and circular strategies. The systematic classification of products suitable for recycling or be made of recyclate will facilitate the safe and sustainable recycling of plastic waste into new products, cap production, lower consumption, and prevent waste generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Golnoush Abbasi
- Environmental Impacts & Sustainability, NILU - Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Instituttveien 18, 2007 Kjeller, Norway.
| | - Marina Hauser
- Environmental Impacts & Sustainability, NILU - Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Instituttveien 18, 2007 Kjeller, Norway.
| | - Cornelis Peter Baldé
- Sustainable Cycles Programme, United Nations Institute for Training and Research, Platz der Vereinten Nationen 1, 53113 Bonn, Germany
| | - Evert A Bouman
- Environmental Impacts & Sustainability, NILU - Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Instituttveien 18, 2007 Kjeller, Norway
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93
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The measurement of food safety and security risks associated with micro- and nanoplastic pollution. Trends Analyt Chem 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2023.116993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/26/2023]
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94
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De Frond H, Cowger W, Renick V, Brander S, Primpke S, Sukumaran S, Elkhatib D, Barnett S, Navas-Moreno M, Rickabaugh K, Vollnhals F, O'Donnell B, Lusher A, Lee E, Lao W, Amarpuri G, Sarau G, Christiansen S. What determines accuracy of chemical identification when using microspectroscopy for the analysis of microplastics? CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 313:137300. [PMID: 36414038 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.137300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman microspectroscopy are methods applied in microplastics research to determine the chemical identity of microplastics. These techniques enable quantification of microplastic particles across various matrices. Previous work has highlighted the benefits and limitations of each method and found these to be complimentary. Within this work, metadata collected within an interlaboratory method validation study was used to determine which variables most influenced successful chemical identification of un-weathered microplastics in simulated drinking water samples using FTIR and Raman microspectroscopy. No variables tested had a strong correlation with the accuracy of chemical identification (r = ≤0.63). The variables most correlated with accuracy differed between the two methods, and include both physical characteristics of particles (color, morphology, size, polymer type), and instrumental parameters (spectral collection mode, spectral range). Based on these results, we provide technical recommendations to improve capabilities of both methods for measuring microplastics in drinking water and highlight priorities for further research. For FTIR microspectroscopy, recommendations include considering the type of particle in question to inform sample presentation and spectral collection mode for sample analysis. Instrumental parameters should be adjusted for certain particle types when using Raman microspectroscopy. For both instruments, the study highlighted the need for harmonization of spectral reference libraries among research groups, including the use of libraries containing reference materials of both weathered plastic and natural materials that are commonly found in environmental samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah De Frond
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Room 3055, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3B2.
| | - Win Cowger
- Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research, 160 N. Marina Dr, Long Beach, CA, 90803, United States.
| | - Violet Renick
- Environmental Services Department, Orange County Sanitation District, 10844 Ellis Ave, Fountain Valley, CA, 92708, United States.
| | - Susanne Brander
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station, Oregon State University, 2030 SE Marine Sciences Drive, Newport, OR, 97365, United States.
| | - Sebastian Primpke
- Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Helgoland, Germany.
| | - Suja Sukumaran
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, 5225-1 Verona Rd, Fitchburg, WI, 53711, United States.
| | - Dounia Elkhatib
- Oak Ridge Institute of Science Education, c/o U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ORD/CEMM Atlantic Coastal Environmental Sciences Division, 27 Tarzwell Drive, Narragansett, RI, 02882, United States.
| | - Steve Barnett
- Barnett Technical Services, LLC 8153 Elk Grove Blvd., Suite 20 Elk Grove, CA 95758, United States.
| | | | - Keith Rickabaugh
- RJ Lee Group, 350 Hochberg Road, Monroeville, PA 15146, United States.
| | - Florian Vollnhals
- Institute for Nanotechnology and Correlative Microscopy - INAM, Äußere Nürnbergerstr. 62, 91301 Forchheim, Germany.
| | - Bridget O'Donnell
- HORIBA Scientific, 20 Knightsbridge Rd, Piscataway, NJ 08854, United States.
| | - Amy Lusher
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Oslo, Norway, Department of Biological Sciences, Univeristy of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Eunah Lee
- HORIBA Instruments Inc., 430 Indio Ave, Sunnyvale, CA, 94085, United States.
| | - Wenjian Lao
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority, 3535 Harbor Blvd., Suite 110, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA.
| | - Gaurav Amarpuri
- Eastman Chemical Company, 100 N. Eastman Rd., Kingsport, TN, 37660, United States.
| | - George Sarau
- Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramics Technology and Systems - IKTS, Äußere Nürnbergerstr. 62, 91301 Forchheim, Germany.
| | - Silke Christiansen
- Institute for Nanotechnology and Correlative Microscopy - INAM, Äußere Nürnbergerstr. 62, 91301 Forchheim, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramics Technology and Systems - IKTS, Äußere Nürnbergerstr. 62, 91301 Forchheim, Germany.
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95
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Barboza LGA, Otero XL, Fernández EV, Vieira LR, Fernandes JO, Cunha SC, Guilhermino L. Are microplastics contributing to pollution-induced neurotoxicity? A pilot study with wild fish in a real scenario. Heliyon 2023; 9:e13070. [PMID: 36711285 PMCID: PMC9880392 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Pollution-induced neurotoxicity is of high concern. This pilot study investigated the potential relationship between the presence of microplastics (MPs) in the brain of 180 wild fish (Dicentrarchus labrax, Platichthys flesus, Mugil cephalus) from a contaminated estuary and the activity of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme. MPs were found in 9 samples (5% of the total), all of them from D. labrax collected in the summer, which represents 45% of the samples of this species collected in that season (20). Seventeen MPs were recovered from brain samples, with sizes ranging from 8 to 96 μm. Polyacrylamide, polyacrylic acid and one biopolymer (zein) were identified by Micro-Raman spectroscopy. Fish with MPs showed lower (p ≤ 0.05) AChE activity than those where MPs were not found. These findings point to the contribution of MPs to the neurotoxicity induced by long-term exposure to pollution, stressing the need of further studies on the topic to increase 'One Health' protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luís Gabriel A. Barboza
- CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Research Team of Ecotoxicology, Stress Ecology and Environmental Health (ECOTOX), Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenida General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal,ICBAS – School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Department of Populations Study, Laboratory of Ecotoxicology and Ecology (ECOTOX), Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal,Corresponding author. CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Research Team of Ecotoxicology, Stress Ecology and Environmental Health (ECOTOX), Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenida General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal.
| | - Xosé L. Otero
- CRETUS Institute, Department of Edaphology and Agricultural Chemistry - Faculty of Biology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Campus Vida, Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Spain,REBUSC, Network of Biological stations of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Marine Biology Station A Graña, Ferrol, Spain
| | - Ezequiel V. Fernández
- RIAIDT, The Network of Infrastructures to Support Research and Technological Development of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Edificio Cactus, Campus Vida, Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Spain
| | - Luís R. Vieira
- CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Research Team of Ecotoxicology, Stress Ecology and Environmental Health (ECOTOX), Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenida General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal,ICBAS – School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Department of Populations Study, Laboratory of Ecotoxicology and Ecology (ECOTOX), Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
| | - José O. Fernandes
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Bromatology and Hydrology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sara C. Cunha
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Bromatology and Hydrology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
| | - Lúcia Guilhermino
- CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Research Team of Ecotoxicology, Stress Ecology and Environmental Health (ECOTOX), Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenida General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal,ICBAS – School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Department of Populations Study, Laboratory of Ecotoxicology and Ecology (ECOTOX), Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
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96
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Keys BC, Grant ML, Rodemann T, Mylius KA, Pinfold TL, Rivers-Auty J, Lavers JL. New Methods for the Quantification of Ingested Nano- and Ultrafine Plastics in Seabirds. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:310-320. [PMID: 36548475 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c06973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Plastic ingestion has been documented in a plethora of taxa. However, there is a significant gap in the detection of nano- and ultrafine particles due to size limitations of commonly used techniques. Using two Australian seabird species as case studies, the flesh-footed shearwater (FFSH) Ardenna carneipes and short-tailed shearwater (STSH) A. tenuirostris, we tested a novel approach of flow cytometry to quantify ingested particles <70 μm in the fecal precursor (guano; colon and cloacal contents) of both species. This method provided the first baseline data set for these species for plastics in the 200 nm-70 μm particle size ranges and detected a mean of 553.50 ± 91.21 and 350.70 ± 52.08 plastics (count/mg fecal precursor, wet mass) in STSH and FFSH, respectively, whereas Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) provided accurate measurements of polymer compositions and quantities in the size range above 5.5 × 5.5 μm2. The abundance of nano- and ultrafine particles in the guano (count/mg) was not significantly different between species (p-value = 0.051), suggesting that foraging distribution or prey items, but not species, may contribute to the consumption of small plastics. In addition, there was no correlation between macroplastics in the stomach compared to the fecal precursor, indicating that small particles are likely bioaccumulating (e.g., through shedding and digestive fragmentation) and/or being directly ingested. Combining flow cytometry with FT-IR provides a powerful quantitative and qualitative analysis tool for detecting particles orders of magnitude smaller than that are currently explored with wider applications across taxa and marine environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca C Keys
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania 7004, Australia
| | - Megan L Grant
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, School Road, Newnham, Tasmania 7248, Australia
| | - Thomas Rodemann
- Central Science Laboratory, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 74, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | - Karli A Mylius
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania 7004, Australia
| | - Terry L Pinfold
- Tasmanian School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Jack Rivers-Auty
- Tasmanian School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7000, Australia
| | - Jennifer L Lavers
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, Tasmania 7004, Australia
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97
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Chea JD, Yenkie KM, Stanzione JF, Ruiz-Mercado GJ. A generic scenario analysis of end-of-life plastic management: Chemical additives. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 441:129902. [PMID: 37155557 PMCID: PMC10125005 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Plastic growing demand and the increment in global plastics production have raised the number of spent plastics, out of which over 90% are either landfilled or incinerated. Both methods for handling spent plastics are susceptible to releasing toxic substances, damaging air, water, soil, organisms, and public health. Improvements to the existing infrastructure for plastics management are needed to limit chemical additive release and exposure resulting from the end-of-life (EoL) stage. This article analyzes the current plastic waste management infrastructure and identifies chemical additive releases through a material flow analysis. Additionally, we performed a facility-level generic scenario analysis of the current U.S. EoL stage of plastic additives to track and estimate their potential migration, releases, and occupational exposure. Potential scenarios were analyzed through sensitivity analysis to examine the merit of increasing recycling rates, using chemical recycling, and implementing additive extraction post-recycling. Our analyses identified that the current state of plastic EoL management possesses high mass flow intensity toward incineration and landfilling. Although maximizing the plastic recycling rate is a reasonably straightforward goal for enhancing material circularity, the conventional mechanical recycling method requires improvement because major chemical additive release and contamination routes act as obstacles to achieving high-quality plastics for future reuse and should be mitigated through chemical recycling and additive extraction. The potential hazards and risks identified in this research create an opportunity to design a safer closed-loop plastic recycling infrastructure to handle additives strategically and support sustainable materials management efforts to transform the US plastic economy from linear to circular.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D. Chea
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, hosted by Office of Research & Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Kirti M. Yenkie
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA
| | - Joseph F. Stanzione
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA
| | - Gerardo J. Ruiz-Mercado
- Office of Research & Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
- Chemical Engineering Graduate Program, Universidad del Atlántico, Puerto Colombia 080007, Colombia
- Corresponding author at: Office of Research & Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA. (G.J. Ruiz-Mercado)
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98
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Huo J, Wang Z, Oberschelp C, Guillén-Gosálbez G, Hellweg S. Net-zero transition of the global chemical industry with CO 2-feedstock by 2050: feasible yet challenging. GREEN CHEMISTRY : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL AND GREEN CHEMISTRY RESOURCE : GC 2023; 25:415-430. [PMID: 36685711 PMCID: PMC9808895 DOI: 10.1039/d2gc03047k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) have been projected by the power and industrial sectors to play a vital role towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, we aim to explore the feasibility of a global chemical industry that fully relies on CO2 as its carbon source in 2050. We project the global annual CO2 demand as chemical feedstock to be 2.2-3.1 gigatonnes (Gt), well within the possible range of supply (5.2-13.9 Gt) from the power, cement, steel, and kraft pulp sectors. Hence, feedstock availability is not a constraint factor for the transition towards a fully CO2-based chemical industry on the global basis, with the exception of few regions that could face local supply shortages, such as the Middle East. We further conduct life cycle assessment to examine the environmental benefits on climate change and the trade-offs of particulate matter-related health impacts induced by carbon capture. We conclude that CO2 captured from solid biomass-fired power plants and kraft pulp mills in Europe would have the least environmental and health impacts, and that India and China should prioritize low-impact regional electricity supply before a large-scale deployment of CCUS. Finally, two bottom-up case studies of China and the Middle East illustrate how the total regional environmental and health impacts from carbon capture can be minimized by optimizing its supply sources and transport, requiring cross-sectoral cooperation and early planning of infrastructure. Overall, capture and utilization of unabatable industrial waste CO2 as chemical feedstock can be a feasible way for the net-zero transition of the industry, while concerted efforts are yet needed to build up the carbon-capture-and-utilization value chain around the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Huo
- Chair of Ecological Systems Design, Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zürich John-von-Neumann-Weg 9 8093 Zürich Switzerland
- National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Catalysis, ETH Zürich Zürich Switzerland
| | - Zhanyun Wang
- Chair of Ecological Systems Design, Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zürich John-von-Neumann-Weg 9 8093 Zürich Switzerland
- National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Catalysis, ETH Zürich Zürich Switzerland
- Empa-Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Technology and Society Laboratory Lerchenfeldstrasse 5 CH-9014 St Gallen Switzerland
| | - Christopher Oberschelp
- Chair of Ecological Systems Design, Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zürich John-von-Neumann-Weg 9 8093 Zürich Switzerland
- National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Catalysis, ETH Zürich Zürich Switzerland
| | - Gonzalo Guillén-Gosálbez
- National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Catalysis, ETH Zürich Zürich Switzerland
- Sustainable Process Systems Engineering Lab, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1 8093 Zürich Switzerland
| | - Stefanie Hellweg
- Chair of Ecological Systems Design, Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zürich John-von-Neumann-Weg 9 8093 Zürich Switzerland
- National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Catalysis, ETH Zürich Zürich Switzerland
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Tanaka K, Takahashi Y, Kajiwara T, Matsukami H, Kuramochi H, Osako M, Suzuki G. Identification and quantification of additive-derived chemicals in beached micro-mesoplastics and macroplastics. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 186:114438. [PMID: 36473243 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Although marine plastic debris are expected to retain various chemical additives, little is known about the additives that are retained. We conducted a screening analysis of additives in 261 macroplastic and micro-mesoplastic debris from two beaches. We detected 52 chemicals-antioxidants, phthalates, ultraviolet stabilizers, hindered amine light stabilizers, and flame retardants-and quantified the concentrations of 15 of them. Comparison of the concentrations of Irgafos 168, an antioxidant stabilizer, among sample categories indicated that leaching had occurred from micro-mesoplastics. Differences in diffusion rates between polymer types may explain faster leaching from polyethylene than polypropylene. The significant amounts of Irgafos 168 retained in even micro-mesoplastics indicated the importance of plastics as a vector of additives. This study provides fundamental data needed to assess the risks to organisms from exposure to plastic additives and to understand the effect of stabilizers on the aging behavior of marine plastics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosuke Tanaka
- Material Cycles Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba 305-8506, Japan.
| | - Yusuke Takahashi
- Material Cycles Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba 305-8506, Japan
| | - Takehiro Kajiwara
- Yamaguchi Prefectural Institute of Public Health and Environment, Yamaguchi 753-0871, Japan
| | - Hidenori Matsukami
- Material Cycles Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba 305-8506, Japan
| | - Hidetoshi Kuramochi
- Material Cycles Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba 305-8506, Japan
| | - Masahiro Osako
- Material Cycles Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba 305-8506, Japan
| | - Go Suzuki
- Material Cycles Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba 305-8506, Japan
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100
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Saha S, Laforsch C, Ramsperger A, Niebel D. [Microplastic and dermatological care]. DERMATOLOGIE (HEIDELBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 74:27-33. [PMID: 35994101 PMCID: PMC9395856 DOI: 10.1007/s00105-022-05035-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Synthetic polymers (plastics) from fossil resources are produced in large quantities and reach the environment as microplastics due to improper disposal and via various entry routes. This may lead to implications on flora, fauna, and humans. OBJECTIVES This article aims to provide a concise overview for dermatologists about this complex topic and how it relates to daily medical practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a selective literature review regarding microplastics and sustainability in dermatology in liaison with the collaborative research center on microplastics at the University of Bayreuth. RESULTS Primary and secondary microplastics are released into the environment on a large scale and accumulate in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. This may lead to their disruption and bears potential to create ecological niches for human pathogenic species. Humans and animals inhale and ingest microplastics, and the health consequences have not been sufficiently investigated. This is mainly because microplastics are not a homogenous group of substances, and potential effects depend on various properties (e.g., type of polymer, size, shape, additivation, surface charge). Dermatological care is resource intensive and contributes in various ways to this matter. CONCLUSION Plastics are currently indispensable in many fields. Nevertheless, physicians have the responsibility to prevent negative consequences for the health of society (precautionary principle). Extensive efforts are thus necessary for better sustainability; this includes medical care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Saha
- Arbeitskreis Plastik und Nachhaltigkeit in der Dermatologie (APN), Guntramstr. 8, 79106, Freiburg, Deutschland.
| | - Christian Laforsch
- Tierökologie, Sonderforschungsbereich 1357 Mikroplastik, Universität Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95440, Bayreuth, Deutschland
| | - Anja Ramsperger
- Tierökologie, Sonderforschungsbereich 1357 Mikroplastik, Universität Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95440, Bayreuth, Deutschland
| | - Dennis Niebel
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Dermatologie, Universitätsklinikum Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Deutschland.
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