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Schiano ME, D'Auria LJ, D'Auria R, Seccia S, Rofrano G, Signorelli D, Sansone D, Caprio E, Albrizio S, Cocca M. Microplastic contamination in the agri-food chain: The case of honeybees and beehive products. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 948:174698. [PMID: 38997016 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174698] [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: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 06/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
Microplastics, MPs, plastic fragments with a dimension lower than 5 mm, and microfibers, MFs, synthetic and natural/artificial fibrous fragments with a diameter lower than 50 μm, are ubiquitous pollutants identified in different environmental compartments. In this work the occurrence of MPs and MFs on honeybees, Apis mellifera, and beehive products was evaluated, using Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy, confirming that MPs and MFs are widely present as air contaminants in all the apiary's areas (high and low urbanized areas) in Southern Italy. Results indicated that independently from the site, both honeybees and honey samples, are contaminated by MFs with non-natural color. The majority of MFs were of natural origin followed by artificial MFs and synthetic MFs. Moreover, the chemical composition of MFs isolated from honeybees reflect that used in synthetic fabrics, leading to the hypothesis that they are released from textile to air where are captured by bees. Results highlight that MFs represent a class of ubiquitous airborne anthropogenic pollutants. The identification of polytetrafluoroethylene, PTFE, MPs in honeybees confirm the recent findings that PTFE MPs are diffuse soil and air contaminants while the identification of polyethylene, PE, based MPs in honey samples, from low density urban sites, could be correlated to the large use of PE in agriculture. In the honey samples, also polycaprolactone, PCL, MPs were identified, mainly in high density urban sites, confirming that biodegradable materials could be further pollutants in the environments. The results indicate that honeybees are contaminated by MPs and MFs during their flights or picking up from the hive components, flowers, from other nest mates, from the clothes of the beekeeper, among others and some of them could be transferred to honey samples that could be also affected by soil contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marica Erminia Schiano
- Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials National Research Council of Italy, via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, NA, Italy; Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Jacopo D'Auria
- Centro di Referenza Nazionale per l'Analisi e Studio di Correlazione tra Ambiente, Animale e Uomo, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, Via Salute 2, 80055 Portici, Italy
| | - Roberta D'Auria
- Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials National Research Council of Italy, via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, NA, Italy
| | - Serenella Seccia
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Rofrano
- Centro di Referenza Nazionale per l'Analisi e Studio di Correlazione tra Ambiente, Animale e Uomo, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, Via Salute 2, 80055 Portici, Italy.
| | - Daniel Signorelli
- Centro di Referenza Nazionale per l'Analisi e Studio di Correlazione tra Ambiente, Animale e Uomo, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, Via Salute 2, 80055 Portici, Italy
| | - Donato Sansone
- Centro di Referenza Nazionale per l'Analisi e Studio di Correlazione tra Ambiente, Animale e Uomo, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, Via Salute 2, 80055 Portici, Italy
| | - Emilio Caprio
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Università, 100 Portici, 80055 Naples, Italy
| | - Stefania Albrizio
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy; Interuniversity Consortium INBB, Viale Medaglie d'Oro 305, 00136 Rome, Italy.
| | - Mariacristina Cocca
- Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials National Research Council of Italy, via Campi Flegrei 34, 80078 Pozzuoli, NA, Italy
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Barboza LGA, Lourenço SC, Aleluia A, Senes GP, Otero XL, Guilhermino L. Are microplastics a new cardiac threat? A pilot study with wild fish from the North East Atlantic Ocean. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 261:119694. [PMID: 39068971 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Revised: 07/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Global environmental contamination by microplastics (MPs) is a growing problem with potential One Health impacts. The presence of MPs in vital organs, such as the heart, is of particular concern, but the knowledge is still limited. The goal of the present pilot study was to investigate the potential presence of MPs in the heart of wild specimens of three commercial fish species (Merluccius merluccius, Sardina pilchardus, and Trisopterus luscus) from the North East Atlantic Ocean. Heart samples from 154 fish were analysed for MP content (one heart sample per fish). A total of 44 MPs were recovered from heart samples from the three species. MPs had varied chemical composition (5 polymers), shapes (4) and colours (5). Differences in the profile of the MPs among species was observed (p ≤ 0.05). Thirty fish (19%) had MPs in their hearts, with a total mean (±SD) concentration of 0.286 ± 0.644 MPs/fish. S. pilchardus had the highest heart contamination (p ≤ 0.05). There were no significant (p > 0.05) differences between M. merluccius and T. luscus. These findings in fish with different biological and ecological traits together with literature data suggest that heart contamination likely is a disseminated phenomenon. Therefore, further research on the presence of MPs in the cardiovascular system and its potential health effects is very much needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luís Gabriel A Barboza
- CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Research Team of Aquatic Ecotoxicology and One Health (ECOTOX), Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenida General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Departamento de Estudos de Populações, Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia e Ecologia (ECOTOX), Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Sara Couto Lourenço
- CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Research Team of Aquatic Ecotoxicology and One Health (ECOTOX), Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenida General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Departamento de Estudos de Populações, Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia e Ecologia (ECOTOX), Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Alexandre Aleluia
- CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Research Team of Aquatic Ecotoxicology and One Health (ECOTOX), Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenida General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Departamento de Estudos de Populações, Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia e Ecologia (ECOTOX), Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Giovanni Paolo Senes
- CRETUS, Department of Edaphology and Agricultural Chemistry - Faculty of Biology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Campus Vida, Santiago de Compostela 15782, Spain
| | - Xosé L Otero
- CRETUS, 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; 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.
| | - Lúcia Guilhermino
- CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Research Team of Aquatic Ecotoxicology and One Health (ECOTOX), Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenida General Norton de Matos, s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal; ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Departamento de Estudos de Populações, Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia e Ecologia (ECOTOX), Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
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Lu S, Wei S, Li M, Chadwick DR, Xie M, Wu D, Jones DL. Earthworms alleviate microplastics stress on soil microbial and protist communities. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 948:174945. [PMID: 39043297 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2024] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024]
Abstract
Microplastic (MP) pollution can exert significant pressure on soil ecosystems, however, the interactive effects of MPs on soil bacterial, fungal and protist communities remains poorly understood. Soil macrofauna, such as earthworms, can be directly affected by MPs, potentially leading to a range of feedbacks on the soil microbial community. To address this, we conducted a microcosm experiment to examine the effects of conventional (i.e., polyethylene, polystyrene) and biodegradable MPs (i.e. PBAT, polylactic acid) on the structure of the soil bacterial, fungal, and protist communities in the presence or absence of earthworms. We found that MP contamination negatively affected the diversity and composition of soil microbial and protist communities, with smaller-sized conventional MPs having the most pronounced effects. For example, compared with the unamended control, small-sized polyethylene MPs both significantly reduced the Shannon diversity of soil bacteria, fungi, and protist by 4.3 %, 37.0 %, and 9.1 %, respectively. Biodegradable MPs increased negative correlations among bacteria, fungi, and protists. However, earthworms mitigated these effects, enhancing the diversity and altering the composition of these communities. They also increased the niche width and stability of the soil microbial food web network. Our study indicated that earthworms help attenuate the response of soil microorganisms to MPs stress by influencing the diversity and composition of soil microorganisms and soil physicochemical properties and underscores the importance of considering macrofauna in MPs research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyuan Lu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin 130117, China
| | - Shitong Wei
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin 130117, China
| | - Meiyan Li
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin 130117, China
| | - David R Chadwick
- School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
| | - Mengmeng Xie
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Donghui Wu
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin 130117, China; Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China; Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China; Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China; Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130117, China.
| | - Davey L Jones
- School of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK
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Jiang X, Wang X, Kah M, Li M. Environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics from agricultural mulch and cadmium negatively impact earthworms by triggering neurotoxicity and disrupting homeostasis. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 476:135158. [PMID: 39002475 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.135158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 05/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
Recent research has highlighted the ecological risk posed by microplastics (MPs) from mulching film and heavy metals to soil organisms. However, most studies overlooked real environmental levels of MPs and heavy metals. To address this gap, pristine and aged polyethylene (PE) mulching film-derived MPs (PMPs, 500 mg/kg; AMPs, 500 mg/kg) were combined with cadmium (Cd, 0.5 mg/kg) to assess the acute toxicity to earthworms and investigate associated molecular mechanisms (oxidative stress, osmoregulation pressure, gut microbiota, and metabolic responses) at environmentally relevant concentrations. Compared to Cd alone and Cd + PMPs treatments (11.15 ± 4.19 items/g), Cd + AMPs treatment resulted in higher MPs bioaccumulation (23.73 ± 13.14 items/g), more severe tissue lesions, and increased cell membrane osmotic pressure in earthworms' intestines. Cd + AMPs induced neurotoxicity through elevated levels of glutamate and acetylcholinesterase. Earthworm intestines (0.98 ± 0.49 to 3.33 ± 0.37 mg/kg) exhibited significantly higher Cd content than soils (0.19 ± 0.01 to 0.51 ± 0.06 mg/kg) and casts (0.15 ± 0.01 to 0.25 ± 0.05 mg/kg), indicating PE-MPs facilitated Cd transport in earthworms' bodies. Metabolomic analysis showed Cd + AMPs exposure depleted energy and nucleotide metabolites, disrupted cell homeostasis more profoundly than Cd and Cd + PMPs treatments. Overall, co-exposure to AMPs + Cd induced more severe neurotoxicity and disruption of homeostasis in earthworm than Cd and PMPs + Cd treatments. Our study, using Cd and MPs with environmental relevance, underscores MPs' role in amplifying Cd accumulation and toxicity in earthworms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofeng Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xinwei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Melanie Kah
- School of Environment, The University of Auckland, 23 Symonds Street, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
| | - Mei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
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Sorasan C, Taladriz-Blanco P, Rodriguez-Lorenzo L, Espiña B, Rosal R. New versus naturally aged greenhouse cover films: Degradation and micro-nanoplastics characterization under sunlight exposure. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 918:170662. [PMID: 38316311 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
The understanding of microplastic degradation and its effects remains limited due to the absence of accurate analytical techniques for detecting and quantifying micro- and nanoplastics. In this study, we investigated the release of nanoplastics and small microplastics in water from low-density polyethylene (LDPE) greenhouse cover films under simulated sunlight exposure for six months. Our analysis included both new and naturally aged (used) cover films, enabling us to evaluate the impact of natural aging. Additionally, photooxidation effects were assessed by comparing irradiated and non-irradiated conditions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) confirmed the presence of particles below 1 μm in both irradiated and non-irradiated cover films. NTA revealed a clear effect of natural aging, with used films releasing more particles than new films but no impact of photooxidation, as irradiated and non-irradiated cover films released similar amounts of particles at each time point. Raman spectroscopy demonstrated the lower crystallinity of the released PE nanoplastics compared to the new films. Flow cytometry and total organic carbon data provided evidence of the release of additional material besides PE, and a clear effect of both simulated and natural aging, with photodegradation effects observed only for the new cover films. Finally, our results underscore the importance of studying the aging processes in both new and used plastic products using complementary techniques to assess the environmental fate and safety risks posed by plastics used in agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Sorasan
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, E-28871 Madrid, Spain
| | - Patricia Taladriz-Blanco
- International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), Water Quality Group, Av. Mestre José Veiga s/n, 4715-330 Braga, Portugal; Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers, 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Laura Rodriguez-Lorenzo
- International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), Water Quality Group, Av. Mestre José Veiga s/n, 4715-330 Braga, Portugal
| | - Begoña Espiña
- International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), Water Quality Group, Av. Mestre José Veiga s/n, 4715-330 Braga, Portugal
| | - Roberto Rosal
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, E-28871 Madrid, Spain
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