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Lara-Topete GO, Castanier-Rivas JD, Bahena-Osorio MF, Krause S, Larsen JR, Loge FJ, Mahlknecht J, Gradilla-Hernández MS, González-López ME. Compounding one problem with another? A look at biodegradable microplastics. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 944:173735. [PMID: 38857803 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Environmental concerns about microplastics (MPs) have motivated research of their sources, occurrence, and fate in aquatic and soil ecosystems. To mitigate the environmental impact of MPs, biodegradable plastics are designed to naturally decompose, thus reducing the amount of environmental plastic contamination. However, the environmental fate of biodegradable plastics and the products of their incomplete biodegradation, especially micro-biodegradable plastics (MBPs), remains largely unexplored. This comprehensive review aims to assess the risks of unintended consequences associated with the introduction of biodegradable plastics into the environment, namely, whether the incomplete mineralization of biodegradable plastics could enhance the risk of MBPs formation and thus, exacerbate the problem of their environmental dispersion, representing a potentially additional environmental hazard due to their presumed ecotoxicity. Initial evidence points towards the potential for incomplete mineralization of biodegradable plastics under both controlled and uncontrolled conditions. Rapid degradation of PLA in thermophilic industrial composting contrasts with the degradation below 50 % of other biodegradables, suggesting MBPs released into the environment through compost. Moreover, degradation rates of <60 % in anaerobic digestion for polymers other than PLA and PHAs suggest a heightened risk of MBPs in digestate, risking their spread into soil and water. This could increase MBPs and adsorbed pollutants' mobilization. The exact behavior and impacts of additive leachates from faster-degrading plastics remain largely unknown. Thus, assessing the environmental fate and impacts of MBPs-laden by-products like compost or digestate is crucial. Moreover, the ecotoxicological consequences of shifting from conventional plastics to biodegradable ones are highly uncertain, as there is insufficient evidence to claim that MBPs have a milder effect on ecosystem health. Indeed, literature shows that the impact may be worse depending on the exposed species, polymer type, and the ecosystem complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary Ossmar Lara-Topete
- Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Laboratorio de Sostenibilidad y Cambio Climático, Av. General Ramón Corona 2514, Zapopan, Jalisco 45138, Mexico
| | - Juan Daniel Castanier-Rivas
- Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Laboratorio de Sostenibilidad y Cambio Climático, Av. General Ramón Corona 2514, Zapopan, Jalisco 45138, Mexico
| | - María Fernanda Bahena-Osorio
- Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Laboratorio de Sostenibilidad y Cambio Climático, Av. General Ramón Corona 2514, Zapopan, Jalisco 45138, Mexico
| | - Stefan Krause
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Joshua R Larsen
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Frank J Loge
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California - Davis, Davis, CA, United States of America; Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Monterrey, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo León, Mexico
| | - Jürgen Mahlknecht
- Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Monterrey, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo León, Mexico
| | - Misael Sebastián Gradilla-Hernández
- Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Laboratorio de Sostenibilidad y Cambio Climático, Av. General Ramón Corona 2514, Zapopan, Jalisco 45138, Mexico
| | - Martín Esteban González-López
- Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Laboratorio de Sostenibilidad y Cambio Climático, Av. General Ramón Corona 2514, Zapopan, Jalisco 45138, Mexico.
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Dolar A, Petrišič T, Drobne D, Jemec Kokalj A. Response of the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber to lipopolysaccharide challenge after microplastic and insecticide exposure. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 925:171698. [PMID: 38499105 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171698] [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: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
The exposure of organisms to microplastics could compromise their ability to cope with other environmental stressors, such as infections. In this context, we investigated the effects of a 14-day exposure of the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber to tire particles in soil (1.5 % w w-1 dry weight) on the organisms' response to a secondary exposure, i.e., injection of the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide. In addition, the insecticide chlorpyrifos (2 mg kg-1 dry weight) was tested as a positive control. The survival and immune response of P. scaber was assessed at the end of the 7- and 14-day primary exposure and two days after the secondary exposure, by analyzing selected haemolymph immune parameters (total haemocyte count, differential haemocyte count, and haemocyte viability). No change in survival was observed after primary exposure of P. scaber to tire particles or chlorpyrifos. However, primary exposure to chlorpyrifos triggered a strong activation of the immune response, which was not the case following exposure to the tire particles. Further injection of lipopolysaccharide into the body did not affect the survival of animals exposed to tire particles or chlorpyrifos, while a strong immunomodulatory change was observed, particularly with chlorpyrifos, and to some extent, tire particles. Based on these results, we conclude that exposure of P. scaber to tire particles or chlorpyrifos has no significant effect on the susceptibility of the organism to lipopolysaccharide in terms of their mortality, but primary exposure to an insecticide significantly modulates the immune response of the organisms to a second stressor. We discuss the "stress on stress" approach for testing low-toxic substances, such as microplastics, where an environmentally realistic exposure is followed by a secondary exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andraž Dolar
- University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Biology, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Tina Petrišič
- University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Biology, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Damjana Drobne
- University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Biology, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Anita Jemec Kokalj
- University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Biology, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Saeed MS, Fahd F, Khan F, Chen B, Sadiq R. Human health risk model for microplastic exposure in the Arctic region. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 895:165150. [PMID: 37385486 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165150] [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: 04/08/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics enriched with carcinogens like heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and their derivatives are ubiquitous in Arctic waters. They contaminate the local land and sea-based food sources, which is a significant health hazard. It is thus imperative to assess the risk posed by them to the nearby communities, which primarily rely on locally available food sources to meet their energy requirements. This paper proposes a novel ecotoxicity model to assess the human health risk posed by microplastics. The region's geophysical and environmental conditions affecting human microplastic intake, along with the human physiological parameters influencing biotransformation, are incorporated into the developed causation model. It investigates the carcinogenic risk associated with microplastic intake in humans via ingestion in terms of incremental excess lifetime cancer risk (IELCR). The model first evaluates microplastic intake and then uses reactive metabolites produced due to the interaction of microplastics with xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes to assess cellular mutations that result in cancer. All these conditions are mapped in an Object-Oriented Bayesian Network (OOBN) framework to evaluate IELCR. The study will provide a vital tool for formulating better risk management strategies and policies in the Arctic region, especially concerning Arctic Indigenous peoples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Sadiq Saeed
- Centre for Risk, Integrity, and Safety Engineering (C-RISE) Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science, Memorial University, St John's, NL, Canada A1B 3X5; Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center (MKOPSC), Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, College Station TX 77843, USA
| | - Faisal Fahd
- Centre for Risk, Integrity, and Safety Engineering (C-RISE) Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science, Memorial University, St John's, NL, Canada A1B 3X5
| | - Faisal Khan
- Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center (MKOPSC), Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, College Station TX 77843, USA.
| | - Bing Chen
- Northern Region Persistent Organic Pollution Control Laboratory (NRPOP Lab), Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science, Memorial University, St John's, NL, Canada A1B 3X5
| | - Rehan Sadiq
- School of Engineering, Okanagan Campus, Faculty of Applied Science University of British Columbia, Okanagan, BC, Canada V1V 1V7
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Boraschi D, Canesi L, Drobne D, Kemmerling B, Pinsino A, Prochazkova P. Interaction between nanomaterials and the innate immune system across evolution. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:747-774. [PMID: 36639936 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12928] [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: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Interaction of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) with the immune system mainly occurs with cells and molecules of innate immunity, which are present in interface tissues of living organisms. Immuno-nanotoxicological studies aim at understanding if and when such interaction is inconsequential or may cause irreparable damage. Since innate immunity is the first line of immune reactivity towards exogenous agents and is highly conserved throughout evolution, this review focuses on the major effector cells of innate immunity, the phagocytes, and their major sensing receptors, Toll-like receptors (TLRs), for assessing the modes of successful versus pathological interaction between ENMs and host defences. By comparing the phagocyte- and TLR-dependent responses to ENMs in plants, molluscs, annelids, crustaceans, echinoderms and mammals, we aim to highlight common recognition and elimination mechanisms and the general sufficiency of innate immunity for maintaining tissue integrity and homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Boraschi
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), 1068 Xueyuan Blvd, 518071, Shenzhen, China.,Institute of Protein Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC), CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131, Naples, Italy.,Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN), Villa Comunale, 80132, Napoli, Italy.,China-Italy Joint Laboratory of Pharmacobiotechnology for Medical Immunomodulation (SIAT, CNR, SZN), Napoli, Italy
| | - Laura Canesi
- Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences, University of Genova, Corso Europa 26, 16132, Genova, Italy
| | - Damjana Drobne
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva ulica 101, 1000, Ljubliana, Slovenia
| | - Birgit Kemmerling
- ZMBP - Center for Plant Molecular Biology, Plant Biochemistry, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 32, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Annalisa Pinsino
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology (IFT), National Research Council (CNR), Via Ugo La Malfa 153, 90146, Palermo, Italy
| | - Petra Prochazkova
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Institute of Microbiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Vídeňská 1083, 142 20, Prague, Czech Republic
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