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Lourmpas N, Papanikos P, Efthimiadou EK, Fillipidis A, Lekkas DF, Alexopoulos ND. Degradation assessment of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) debris after long exposure to marine conditions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 954:176847. [PMID: 39393706 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2024] [Revised: 09/23/2024] [Accepted: 10/08/2024] [Indexed: 10/13/2024]
Abstract
The degradation of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) in marine environments was investigated under various weathering conditions. HDPE debris were collected from coastal areas near Korinthos, Greece which had been exposed to marine conditions for durations ranging from a few months to several decades; they were analysed alongside with laboratory-manufactured HDPE specimens subjected to controlled weathering exposure. Four (4) different cases were investigated, including exposure to different conditions, namely to (a) natural atmospheric and (b) sea weathering conditions, (c) accelerated ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and finally (d) submersion to artificial seawater for up to twelve (12) months. The degradation assessment was proposed based on performed tensile mechanical tests, while the chemical/microstructural changes were assessed through Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). FTIR spectroscopy indicated the emergence of carbonyl groups, with peaks appearing between 1740 cm-1 and 1645 cm-1, which are crucial indicators of photo-oxidative degradation. Key findings revealed that HDPE specimens experienced significant (8 %) ultimate tensile strength (σUTS) only after 3 months of atmospheric exposure, while this decrease can reach up to 60 % over the period of 35 years exposure. A strong correlation was observed between the σUTS decrease between the (a) natural environment and (b) accelerated UV weathering exposure. It is noticed that 1½ month of accelerated UV exposure corresponded to similar ultimate tensile strength decrease for 6 months of natural atmospheric degradation. A linear correlation is proposed to assess the long-term materials' tensile properties degradation in marine environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikitas Lourmpas
- Research Unit of Advanced Materials, Department of Financial Engineering, School of Engineering, University of the Aegean, 41 Kountouriοtou str., 82132 Chios, Greece
| | - Paraskevas Papanikos
- Department of Product and Systems Design Engineering, School of Engineering, University of the Aegean, Konstantinoupoleos 1, Syros 84100, Greece
| | - Eleni K Efthimiadou
- Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Zografou 157 71, Greece
| | | | - Demetris F Lekkas
- Waste Management Laboratory, Department of Environmental Studies, University of the Aegean, Mytilene 81100, Greece
| | - Nikolaos D Alexopoulos
- Research Unit of Advanced Materials, Department of Financial Engineering, School of Engineering, University of the Aegean, 41 Kountouriοtou str., 82132 Chios, Greece.
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2
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Granby K, Bhattarai B, Johannsen N, Kotterman MJJ, Sloth JJ, Cederberg TL, Marques A, Larsen BK. Microplastics in feed affect the toxicokinetics of persistent halogenated pollutants in Atlantic salmon. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2024; 357:124421. [PMID: 38914195 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124421] [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: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are carriers of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The influence of MPs on the toxicokinetics of POPs was investigated in a feeding experiment on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), in which fish were fed similar contaminant concentrations in feed with contaminants sorbed to MPs (Cont. MPs); feed with virgin MPs and contaminated feed (1:1), and feed with contaminants without MPs (Cont.). The results showed that the salmon fillets accumulated more POPs when fed with a diet where contaminants were sorbed to the MPs, despite the 125-250 μm size MPs themselves passing the intestines without absorption. Furthermore, depuration was significantly slower for several contaminants in fish fed the diet with POPs sorbed to the MPs. Modelled elimination coefficients and assimilation efficiencies of lipophilic chlorinated and brominated contaminants correlated with contaminant hydrophobicity (log Kow) within the diets and halogen classes. The more lipophilic the contaminant was, the higher was the transfer from feed to salmon fillet. The assimilation efficiency for the diet without MPs was 50-71% compared to 54-89% for the contaminated MPs diet. In addition, MPs caused a greater proportional uptake of higher molecular weight brominated congeners. In the present study, higher assimilation efficiencies and a significantly higher slope of assimilation efficiencies vs log Kow were found for the Cont. MPs diet (p = 0.029), indicating a proportionally higher uptake of higher-brominated congeners compared to the Cont. diet. Multiple variance analyses of elimination coefficients and assimilation efficiencies showed highly significant differences between the three diets for the chlorinated (p = 2E-06; 6E-04) and brominated (p = 5E-04; 4E-03) congeners and within their congeners. The perfluorinated POPs showed low assimilation efficiencies of <12%, which can be explained by faster eliminations corresponding to half-lives of 11-39 days, as well as a lower proportional distribution to the fillet, compared to e.g. the liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kit Granby
- Technical University of Denmark (DTU), National Food Institute, Henrik Dams Alle B201, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Bina Bhattarai
- Technical University of Denmark (DTU), National Food Institute, Henrik Dams Alle B201, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Ninna Johannsen
- Technical University of Denmark (DTU), National Food Institute, Henrik Dams Alle B201, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Michiel J J Kotterman
- Wageningen Marine Research (WMR) Wageningen University and Research, Haringkade 1, 1976 CP, IJmuiden, the Netherlands
| | - Jens J Sloth
- Technical University of Denmark (DTU), National Food Institute, Henrik Dams Alle B201, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Tommy Licht Cederberg
- Technical University of Denmark (DTU), National Food Institute, Henrik Dams Alle B201, 2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - António Marques
- Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), Division of Aquaculture and Upgrading, Avenida Doutor Alfredo Magalhães Ramalho 6, 1495-165, Lisboa, Portugal; Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), University of Porto, Terminal de Cruzeiros de Leixões, Av. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208, Matosinhos, Portugal
| | - Bodil Katrine Larsen
- Technical University of Denmark (DTU), National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Section for Aquaculture, Niels Juelsvej 30, 9850, Hirtshals, Denmark
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Nabi D, Beck AJ, Achterberg EP. Assessing Aquatic Baseline Toxicity of Plastic-Associated Chemicals: Development and Validation of the Target Plastic Model. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:6492-6505. [PMID: 39119989 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.4c00574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
We developed a Target Plastic Model (TPM) to estimate the critical plastic burden of organic toxicants in five types of plastics, namely, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polyoxymethylene (POM), polyacrylate (PA), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and polyurethane ester (PU), following the Target Lipid Model (TLM) framework. By substituting the lipid-water partition coefficient in the TLM with plastic-water partition coefficients to create TPM, we demonstrated that the biomimetic nature of these plastic phases allows for the calculation of critical plastic burdens of toxicants, similar to the notion of critical lipid burdens in TLM. Following this approach, the critical plastic burdens of baseline (n = 115), less-inert (n = 73), and reactive (n = 75) toxicants ranged from 0.17 to 51.33, 0.04 to 26.62, and 1.00 × 10-6 to 6.78 × 10-4 mmol/kg of plastic, respectively. Our study showed that PDMS, PA, POM, PE, and PU are similar to biomembranes in mimicking the passive exchange of chemicals with the water phase. Using the TPM, median lethal concentration (LC50) values for fish exposed to baseline toxicants were predicted, and the results agreed with experimental values, with RMSE ranging from 0.311 to 0.538 log unit. Similarly, for the same data set of baseline toxicants, other widely used models, including the TLM (RMSE: 0.32-0.34), ECOSAR (RMSE: 0.35), and the Abraham Solvation Model (ASM; RMSE: 0.31), demonstrated comparable agreement between experimental and predicted values. For less inert chemicals, predictions were within a factor of 5 of experimental values. Comparatively, ASM and ECOSAR showed predictions within a factor of 2 and 3, respectively. The TLM based on phospholipid had predictions within a factor of 3 and octanol within a factor of 4, indicating that the TPM's performance for less inert chemicals is comparable to these established models. Unlike these methods, the TPM requires only the knowledge of plastic bound concentration for a given plastic phase to calculate baseline toxic units, bypassing the need for extensive LC50 and plastic-water partition coefficient data, which are often limited for emerging chemicals. Taken together, the TPM can provide valuable insights into the toxicities of chemicals associated with environmental plastic phases, assisting in selecting the best polymeric phase for passive sampling and designing better passive dosing techniques for toxicity experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deedar Nabi
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel Wischhofstr. 1-3, 24148 Kiel, Germany
- Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering (IESE), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (SCEE), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), H-12, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Aaron J Beck
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel Wischhofstr. 1-3, 24148 Kiel, Germany
| | - Eric P Achterberg
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel Wischhofstr. 1-3, 24148 Kiel, Germany
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Adamu H, Haruna A, Zango ZU, Garba ZN, Musa SG, Yahaya SM, IbrahimTafida U, Bello U, Danmallam UN, Akinpelu AA, Ibrahim AS, Sabo A, Aljunid Merican ZM, Qamar M. Microplastics and Co-pollutants in soil and marine environments: Sorption and desorption dynamics in unveiling invisible danger and key to ecotoxicological risk assessment. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 362:142630. [PMID: 38897321 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142630] [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: 03/10/2024] [Revised: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) and their co-pollutants pose significant threats to soil and marine environments, necessitating understanding of their colonization processes to combat the plastic pandemic and protect ecosystems. MPs can act as invisible carriers, concentrating and transporting pollutants, leading to a more widespread and potentially toxic impact than the presence of either MPs or the pollutants alone. Analyzing the sorption and desorption dynamics of MPs is crucial for understanding pollutants amplification and predicting the fate and transport of pollutants in soil and marine environments. This review provides an in-depth analysis of the sorption and desorption dynamics of MPs, highlighting the importance of considering these dynamics in ecotoxicological risk assessment of MPs pollution. The review identifies limitations of current frameworks that neglect these interactions and proposes incorporating sorption and desorption data into robust frameworks to improve the ability to predict ecological risks posed by MPs and co-pollutants in soil and marine environments. However, failure to address the interplay between sorption and desorption can result in underestimation of the true impact of MPs and co-pollutants, affecting livelihoods and agro-employments, and exacerbate poverty and community disputes (SDGs 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, and 16). It can also affect food production and security (SDG 2), life below water and life on land (DSGs 14 and 15), cultural practices, and natural heritage (SDG 11.4). Hence, it is necessary to develop new approaches to ecotoxicological risk assessment that consider sorption and desorption processes in the interactions between the components in the framework to address the identified limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haruna Adamu
- Department of Environmental Management Technology, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Yalwa Campus, 740272, Bauchi, Nigeria; Department of Chemistry, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Gubi Campus, 740102, Bauchi, Nigeria.
| | - Abdurrashid Haruna
- Department of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia; Department of Chemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, 810107, Zaria, Nigeria; Institute of Contaminant Management, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia
| | | | - Zaharadden N Garba
- Department of Chemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, 810107, Zaria, Nigeria
| | - Suleiman Gani Musa
- Department of Chemistry, Al-Qalam University, 2137, Katsina, Nigeria; Institute of Contaminant Management, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia
| | | | - Usman IbrahimTafida
- Department of Chemistry, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Gubi Campus, 740102, Bauchi, Nigeria
| | - Usman Bello
- Department of Chemistry, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Gubi Campus, 740102, Bauchi, Nigeria; Biofuel and Biochemical Research Group, Department of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi, PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar, 32610, Malaysia
| | | | - Adeola Akeem Akinpelu
- Center of Environment and Marine Studies, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abubakar Sadiq Ibrahim
- Department of Environmental Management Technology, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Yalwa Campus, 740272, Bauchi, Nigeria
| | - Ahmed Sabo
- Department of Environmental Management Technology, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Yalwa Campus, 740272, Bauchi, Nigeria
| | - Zulkifli Merican Aljunid Merican
- Department of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia; Institute of Contaminant Management, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610 Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia
| | - Mohammad Qamar
- Interdisciplinary Research Center for Hydrogen Technologies and Carbon Management (IRC-HTCM), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia
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5
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Singh P, Varshney G, Kaur R. Primary Microplastics in the Ecosystem: Ecological Effects, Risks, and Comprehensive Perspectives on Toxicology and Detection Methods. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND HEALTH. PART C, TOXICOLOGY AND CARCINOGENESIS 2024:1-52. [PMID: 38967482 DOI: 10.1080/26896583.2024.2370715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Recent discoveries of microplastics in cities, suburbs, and even remote locations, far from microplastic source regions, have raised the possibility of long-distance transmission of microplastics in many ecosystems. A little is known scientifically about the threat that it posed to the environment by microplastics. The problem's apparent size necessitates the rapid development of reliable scientific advice regarding the ecological risks of microplastics. These concerns are brought on by the lack of consistent sample and identification techniques, as well as the limited physical analysis and understanding of microplastic pollution. This review provides insight regarding some unaddressed issues about the occurrence, fate, movement, and impact of microplastics, in general, with special emphasis on primary microplastics. The approaches taken in the earlier investigations have been analyzed and different recommendations for future research have been suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Singh
- Discipline of Polymer Science and Chemical Technology, Department of Applied Chemistry, Delhi Technological University (Formerly Delhi College of Engineering), Delhi, India
| | - Gunjan Varshney
- Discipline of Polymer Science and Chemical Technology, Department of Applied Chemistry, Delhi Technological University (Formerly Delhi College of Engineering), Delhi, India
| | - Raminder Kaur
- Discipline of Polymer Science and Chemical Technology, Department of Applied Chemistry, Delhi Technological University (Formerly Delhi College of Engineering), Delhi, India
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6
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Zhang D, Zhang Z, Liu H, Zou J, Yin L, Liu X, Zhang YN, Qu J, Peijnenburg WJGM. Insights into the effect of crystallinity on the sorption of organic pollutants to microplastics. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:42202-42211. [PMID: 38862802 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-33929-z] [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: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
The environmental behavior of microplastics (MPs) has attracted global attention. Research has confirmed that MPs can strongly absorb almost every kind of pollutant and can serve as vectors for pollutant transport. In this research, the sorption isotherms of six organic pollutants with different structure on four virgin plastic particles with different crystallinity were determined. Results indicated that the hydrophobicity (KOW) of organic pollutants and the crystallinity of MPs were the two key factors that affected the sorption process of organic pollutants on MPs. Strong correlations were observed between KOW and the partition coefficient. Hydrophobic partition was one of the major mechanisms regardless of the type of organic chemical (hydrophobic, polar, or dissociable). What is more, the influence of the crystallinity of MPs on the sorption process increased with increasing hydrophobicity of the chemical. Combining this result with analyzing the related literature on the effect of crystallinity, it was concluded that the effect of crystallinity on the sorption of chemicals with strong hydrophobicity was obvious, whereas this effect was negligible for chemicals with weak hydrophobicity. The influence of the crystallinity of MPs on sorption could even exceed the influence of MPs type, so crystallinity should be considered carefully when discussing the sorption capacity of MPs. This study enhances the understanding of the sorption of organic pollutants by MPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongmei Zhang
- School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Jilin, China
| | - Zining Zhang
- School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Jilin, China
| | - Hui Liu
- College of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Jilin Institute of Chemical Technology, Jilin, China
| | - Jiying Zou
- College of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Jilin Institute of Chemical Technology, Jilin, China
| | - Longyu Yin
- School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Jilin, China
| | - Xiuping Liu
- School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Jilin, China
| | - Ya-Nan Zhang
- School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Jilin, China
| | - Jiao Qu
- School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Jilin, China.
| | - Willie J G M Peijnenburg
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Center for Safety of Substances and Products, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
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Jang MH, Kim TK, Park JW, Kim TH, Hwang YS, Kim SO. Elucidating adsorption mechanisms of benzalkonium chlorides (BACs) on polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate microplastics (MPs): Effects of BACs alkyl chain length and MPs characteristics. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 468:133765. [PMID: 38387174 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in the use of disposable plastics and disinfectants. This study systematically investigated the adsorption behavior and mechanisms of benzalkonium chlorides (BACs), commonly used disinfectants, on polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics (MPs), considering various factors, such as characteristics of MPs, alkyl chain length of BACs, and environmental conditions. Our results demonstrated a higher adsorption capacity for PP-MPs with relatively hydrophobic properties compared to PET-MPs, where longer alkyl chains in BACs (i.e., higher octanol-water partition coefficients, Kow) significantly enhanced adsorption through hydrophobic interactions. The inverse relationship between particle size of MPs and adsorption was evident. While changes in pH minimally affected adsorption on PP-MPs, adsorption on PET-MPs increased with rising pH, highlighting the influence of pH on electrostatic interactions. Moreover, MP aging with UV/H2O2 amplified BAC adsorption on PP-MPs due to surface oxidation and fragmentation, whereas the properties of PET-MPs remained unaltered, resulting in unchanged adsorption capacities. Spectroscopy studies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions as the primary adsorption mechanisms. These findings improve our understanding of MPs and BACs behavior in the environment, providing insights for environmental risk assessments related to combined pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Hee Jang
- Environmental Exposure & Toxicology Research Center, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Jinju 52834, Republic of Korea; Department of Geology and Research Institute of Natural Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae-Kyoung Kim
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - June-Woo Park
- Environmental Exposure & Toxicology Research Center, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Jinju 52834, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae Hee Kim
- Advanced Textile R&D Department, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Ansan 15588, Republic of Korea
| | - Yu Sik Hwang
- Environmental Exposure & Toxicology Research Center, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Jinju 52834, Republic of Korea.
| | - Soon-Oh Kim
- Department of Geology and Research Institute of Natural Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea.
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Santos J, Barreto A, Coelho T, Carvalho E, Pereira D, Calisto V, Maria VL. Amitriptyline ecotoxicity in Danio rerio (Hamilton, 1822) embryos - similar toxicity profile in the presence of nanoplastics. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 2024; 106:104372. [PMID: 38244879 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2024.104372] [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: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Interaction of nanoplastics (NPls) with other environmental contaminants could affect their uptake by the organisms and their toxicity. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the polystyrene NPls (44 nm) interaction with the antidepressant amitriptyline (AMI) and its toxicity to Danio rerio embryos. A similar toxicological profile for NPls + AMI exposure was found for most of the evaluated endpoints, comparing with AMI single exposure, showing that the presence of NPls did not modulate the AMI toxicity. However, the behavioral assessment showed a different pattern with hypoactivity for the NPls + AMI exposure (NPls - hyperactivity; AMI - no effect). Interaction effects between NPls and AMI were also found in the protein contents (antagonism) and in the total glutathione content (synergism). This study highlights the complexity and unpredictability of NPls interaction with pharmaceuticals, important for an accurate environmental risk assessment and for the developing of effective strategies and interventions against plastic pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Santos
- Biology Department & Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Angela Barreto
- Biology Department & Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Teresa Coelho
- Biology Department & Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Edna Carvalho
- Biology Department & Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Diogo Pereira
- Chemistry Department & CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Vânia Calisto
- Chemistry Department & CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Vera L Maria
- Biology Department & Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
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9
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Vrinda PK, Amal R, Abhirami N, Mini DA, Kumar VJR, Devipriya SP. Co-exposure of microplastics and heavy metals in the marine environment and remediation techniques: a comprehensive review. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:114822-114843. [PMID: 37922080 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-30679-2] [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: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/05/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) and heavy metals are significant pollutants in the marine environment, necessitating effective remediation strategies to prevent their release into the sea through sewage and industrial effluent. This comprehensive review explores the current understanding of the co-exposure of MPs and heavy metal-enriched MPs, highlighting the need for effective remediation methods. Various mechanisms, including surface ion complexation, hydrogen bonding, and electrostatic forces, contribute to the adsorption of heavy metals onto MPs, with factors like surface area and environmental exposure duration playing crucial roles. Additionally, biofilm formation on MPs alters their chemical properties, influencing metal adsorption behaviors. Different thermodynamic models are used to explain the adsorption mechanisms of heavy metals on MPs. The adsorption process is influenced by various factors, including the morphological characteristics of MPs, their adsorption capacity, and environmental conditions. Additionally, the desorption of heavy metals from MPs has implications for their bioavailability and poses risks to marine organisms, emphasizing the importance of source reduction and remedial measures. Hybrid approaches that combine both conventional and modern technologies show promise for the efficient removal of MPs and heavy metals from marine environments. This review identifies critical gaps in existing research that should be addressed in future studies including standardized sampling methods to ensure accurate data, further investigation into the specific interactions between MPs and metals, and the development of hybrid technologies at an industrial scale. Overall, this review sheds light on the adsorption and desorption mechanisms of heavy metal-enriched MPs, underscoring the necessity of implementing effective remediation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Punmoth Kalyadan Vrinda
- Department of Ocean Studies and Marine Biology, Pondicherry University, Port Blair, 744112, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
| | - Radhakrishnan Amal
- School of Environmental Studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi, India, 682022
| | - Nandakumar Abhirami
- Department of Aquatic Environment Management, Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Versova, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400061, India
| | - Divya Alex Mini
- Department of Aquatic Environment Management, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Panangad, Kochi, 682508, Kerala, India
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10
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Zhuang S, Wang J. Interaction between antibiotics and microplastics: Recent advances and perspective. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 897:165414. [PMID: 37429470 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Both microplastics and antibiotics are emerging pollutants, which are ubiquitous in aquatic environments. With small size, high specific surface area, and attached biofilm, microplastics are capable of adsorbing or biodegrading antibiotic pollutants across aquatic environments. However, the interactions between them are poorly understood, especially factors that affect microplastics' chemical vector effects and the mechanisms driving these interactions. In this review, the properties of microplastics and their interaction behavior and mechanisms towards antibiotics were comprehensively summarized. Particularly, the impact of weathering properties of microplastics and the growth of attached biofilm was highlighted. We concluded that compared with virgin microplastics, aged microplastics usually adsorb more types and quantities of antibiotics from aquatic environments, whilst the attached biofilm could further enhance the adsorption capacities and biodegrade some antibiotics. This review can answer the knowledge gaps of the interaction between microplastics and antibiotics (or other pollutants), offer basic information for evaluating their combined toxicity, provide insights into the distribution of both emerging pollutants in the global water chemical cycle, and inform measures to remove microplastic-antibiotic pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuting Zhuang
- School of Environment & Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, PR China
| | - Jianlong Wang
- Laboratory of Environmental Technology, INET, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Radioactive Waste Treatment, INET, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China.
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11
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Feng Q, An C, Chen Z, Lee K, Wang Z. Identification of the driving factors of microplastic load and morphology in estuaries for improving monitoring and management strategies: A global meta-analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 333:122014. [PMID: 37336353 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Estuaries are one of the primary pathways for transferring microplastics (MPs) from the land to the ocean. A comprehensive understanding of the load, morphological characteristics, driving factors, and potential risks of MPs in estuaries is imperative to inform reliable management in this critical transboundary area. Extracted from 135 publications, a global meta-analysis comprising 1477 observations and 124 estuaries was conducted. MP abundance in estuaries was tremendously variable, reaching a mean of 21,342.43 ± 122,557.53 items/m3 in water and 1312.79 ± 6295.73 items/kg in sediment. Fibers and fragments take up a majority proportion in estuaries. Polyester, polypropylene, and polyethylene are the most detected MP types. Around 68.73% and 85.51% of MPs detected in water and sediment are smaller than 1 μm. The redundancy analysis revealed that the explanatory factors influencing the morphological characteristics of MPs differed between water and sediment. Regression analysis shows that MP abundance in water is significantly inversely correlated with mesh/filter size, per capita plastic waste, and the Human Development Index, whereas it is significantly positively correlated with population density and share of global mismanaged plastic waste. MP abundance in sediment significantly positively correlated with aridity index and probability of plastic entering the ocean, while significantly negatively correlated with mesh/filter size. Analysis based on Geodector identified that the extraction method, density of flotation fluid, and sampling depth are the top three explanatory factors for MP abundance in water, while the share of global mismanaged plastic waste, the probability of plastic being emitted into the ocean, and population density are the top three explanatory factors for MP abundance in sediment. In the studied estuaries, 46.75% of the water and 2.74% of the sediment are categorized into extremely high levels of pollution, while 73.08% of the water and 43.48% of the sediment belong to class V of the potential ecological index.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Feng
- Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, H3G 1M8, Canada
| | - Chunjiang An
- Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, H3G 1M8, Canada.
| | - Zhi Chen
- Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, H3G 1M8, Canada
| | - Kenneth Lee
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ecosystem Science, Ottawa, K1A 0E6, Canada
| | - Zheng Wang
- Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, H3G 1M8, Canada
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12
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Jebashalomi V, Charles PE, Rajaram R, Sadayan P. A critical review on nanoplastics and its future perspectives in the marine environment. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:1186. [PMID: 37695547 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11701-z] [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: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Nanoplastics (plastic particles smaller than 1 μm) are the least-known type of marine litter. Nanoplastics (NPs) have attracted much interest in recent years because of their prevalence in the environment and the potential harm they can cause to living organisms. This article focuses on understanding NPs and their fate in the marine environment. Sources of NPs have been identified, including accidental release from products or through nano-fragmentation of larger plastic debris. As NPs have a high surface area, they may retain harmful compounds. The presence of harmful additives in NPs poses unique practical challenges for studies on their toxicity. In this review, several methods specifically adapted for the physical and chemical characterization of NPs have been discussed. Furthermore, the review provides an overview of the translocation and absorption of NPs into organisms, along with an evaluation of the release of potential toxins from NPs. Further, we have provided an overview about the existing methods suggested for the possible degradation of these NPs. We conclude that the hazards of NPs are plausible but unknown, necessitating a thorough examination of NPs' sources, fate, and effects to better mitigate and spread awareness about this emerging contaminant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vethanayaham Jebashalomi
- Department of Marine Science, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, 620 024, India
| | | | - Rajendran Rajaram
- Department of Marine Science, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, 620 024, India.
| | - Paramasivam Sadayan
- Department of Oceanography and Coastal Area Studies, School of Marine Science, Science Campus, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, 630003, India
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13
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Mohamed Nor NH, Niu Z, Hennebelle M, Koelmans AA. How Digestive Processes Can Affect the Bioavailability of PCBs Associated with Microplastics: A Modeling Study Supported by Empirical Data. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:11452-11464. [PMID: 37504896 PMCID: PMC10413949 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c02129] [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: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
The transfer kinetics of plastic-associated chemicals during intestinal digestive processes is unknown. Here, we assessed whether digestive processes affect chemical exchange kinetics on microplastics, using an in vitro gut fluid digestive model mimicking the human upper intestinal tract. Chemical exchange kinetics of microplastics were measured for 10 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as proxies for the broad class of hydrophobic organic chemicals. Following earlier studies, olive oil was used as a proxy for digestible food, under high and low digestive enzyme activities. The micelle-water and oil-water partition coefficients of the 10 PCBs were also determined to evaluate the relative contribution of each gut component to sorb PCBs. A new biphasic and reversible chemical exchange model, which included the digestion process, fitted well to the empirical data. We demonstrate that the digestive processes that break down contaminated food can lead to a substantial increase in chemical concentration in microplastics by a factor of 10-20, thereby reducing the overall chemical bioavailability in the gastrointestinal tract when compared to a scenario without microplastics. Higher enzyme activities result in more chemicals being released by the digested food, thereby resulting in higher chemical concentrations in the microplastics. While the model-calibrated kinetic parameters are specific to the studied scenario, we argue that the mechanism of the reduced bioavailability of chemicals and the modeling tool developed have generic relevance. These digestive processes should be considered when assessing the risks of microplastics to humans and also biomagnification in aquatic food webs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nur Hazimah Mohamed Nor
- Aquatic
Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Zhiyue Niu
- Aquatic
Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marie Hennebelle
- Food
Chemistry Group, Wageningen University &
Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700
AA Wageningen, The
Netherlands
| | - Albert A. Koelmans
- Aquatic
Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
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14
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Astner AF, Gillmore AB, Yu Y, Flury M, DeBruyn JM, Schaeffer SM, Hayes DG. Formation, behavior, properties and impact of micro- and nanoplastics on agricultural soil ecosystems (A Review). NANOIMPACT 2023; 31:100474. [PMID: 37419450 DOI: 10.1016/j.impact.2023.100474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Micro and nanoplastics (MPs and NPs, respectively) in agricultural soil ecosystems represent a pervasive global environmental concern, posing risks to soil biota, hence soil health and food security. This review provides a comprehensive and current summary of the literature on sources and properties of MNPs in agricultural ecosystems, methodology for the isolation and characterization of MNPs recovered from soil, MNP surrogate materials that mimic the size and properties of soil-borne MNPs, and transport of MNPs through the soil matrix. Furthermore, this review elucidates the impacts and risks of agricultural MNPs on crops and soil microorganisms and fauna. A significant source of MPs in soil is plasticulture, involving the use of mulch films and other plastic-based implements to provide several agronomic benefits for specialty crop production, while other sources of MPs include irrigation water and fertilizer. Long-term studies are needed to address current knowledge gaps of formation, soil surface and subsurface transport, and environmental impacts of MNPs, including for MNPs derived from biodegradable mulch films, which, although ultimately undergoing complete mineralization, will reside in soil for several months. Because of the complexity and variability of agricultural soil ecosystems and the difficulty in recovering MNPs from soil, a deeper understanding is needed for the fundamental relationships between MPs, NPs, soil biota and microbiota, including ecotoxicological effects of MNPs on earthworms, soil-dwelling invertebrates, and beneficial soil microorganisms, and soil geochemical attributes. In addition, the geometry, size distribution, fundamental and chemical properties, and concentration of MNPs contained in soils are required to develop surrogate MNP reference materials that can be used across laboratories for conducting fundamental laboratory studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton F Astner
- Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-4531, United States of America
| | - Alexis B Gillmore
- Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-4531, United States of America
| | - Yingxue Yu
- Department of Crops and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, and Puyallup, WA 98371, United States of America
| | - Markus Flury
- Department of Crops and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, and Puyallup, WA 98371, United States of America
| | - Jennifer M DeBruyn
- Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-4531, United States of America
| | - Sean M Schaeffer
- Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-4531, United States of America
| | - Douglas G Hayes
- Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-4531, United States of America.
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15
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Zhang Q, Bai X, Ding L, Zhang X, Zhang L, Shu X, Guo X. Assessment of relationship between aging and contaminant-carryover for different filter layer of surgical mask under urban environmental stressors. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 443:130381. [PMID: 36444075 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Abundant disposable surgical masks (SMs) remain in the environment and continue to age under urban environmental stressors. This study aimed to investigate the aging characteristics of SMs and the effect of different aged layers of SMs on phenanthrene (PHE), tylosin (TYL), and sulfamethazine (SMT) under two different urban environmental stressors (UV and ozone). The results show that UV exposure causes more severe aging of the SM layers than ozone. The middle layer, made of melt-brown fabric, has displayed the highest degree of aging due to its smaller diameter and mechanical strength. The two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) analysis reveals the different aging sequences of functional groups and three layers in aged SMs under the two urban environmental stressors. Whether the SMs are aged or not, the adsorptions of three organic pollutants on SMs are positively correlated with the octanol-water partition coefficient. Furthermore, except for the dominant hydrophobic interaction, aged SMs can promote the adsorption of three organic pollutants by accessory interactions (hydrogen bonding and partition), depending on their structures. These findings highlight the environmental effects of new microplastic (MP) sources and coexisting pollutants under the influence of COVID-19, which is helpful in accurately evaluating the biological toxicity of SMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Zhang
- School of Life and Environmental Science, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin, Guangxi, 541000, China; College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Xue Bai
- School of Life and Environmental Science, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin, Guangxi, 541000, China; College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Ling Ding
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Xiyuan Zhang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Lishan Zhang
- School of Life and Environmental Science, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin, Guangxi, 541000, China
| | - Xiaohua Shu
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin, Guangxi, 541000, China.
| | - Xuetao Guo
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China.
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16
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Ahrendt C, Galbán-Malagón C, Gómez V, Torres M, Mattar C, DeCoite M, Guida Y, Příbylová P, Pozo K. Marine debris and associated organic pollutants in surface waters of Chiloé in the Northern Chilean Patagonia (42°-44°S). MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 187:114558. [PMID: 36652856 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114558] [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: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
We report the occurrence of plastics and associated persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in surface waters from Northern Chilean Patagonia. A total of 200 particles were found during the conducted survey. The highest number of particles found was 0.6 item m-3. We found that 53 % of the collected particles corresponded to plastic, with an average of 0.19 ± 0.18 item m-3. Microplastics (68 %) were the dominant size found in the area, followed by macroplastics (18 %) and mesoplastics (14 %). Most plastic particles were white (55 %) while others were <10 % each. Black and light blue represented 9 %; red, dark blue, and other colors 7 %; and green 6 %. Fragments were the most frequent shape of plastic debris (38 %), followed by Styrofoam (30 %) and fiber (27 %). Higher PBDE levels were found in the central zone, and those were higher than DDT, PeCB, HCB, and PCB levels. This study is the first report on POP occurrence in marine plastic debris from Chiloé Sea in the Northern Chilean Patagonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Ahrendt
- Fundación Acción Natural, Las Condes, Santiago de Chile, Chile; Plastic Oceans International, 23823 Malibu Road Ste 50-205, Malibu, CA 90265, USA.
| | - C Galbán-Malagón
- Centro GEMA (Genómica, Ecología y Medio Ambiente), Universidad Mayor, Huechuraba, Santiago de Chile, Chile; Anillo en Ciencia y Tecnología Antártica POLARIX, Chile; Institute of Environment, Florida International University, University Park, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
| | - V Gómez
- Centro GEMA (Genómica, Ecología y Medio Ambiente), Universidad Mayor, Huechuraba, Santiago de Chile, Chile; Anillo en Ciencia y Tecnología Antártica POLARIX, Chile
| | - M Torres
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad San Sebastián, Lientur 1457, Concepción, Chile
| | - C Mattar
- Fundación Bioera, Las Condes, Santiago de Chile, Chile
| | - M DeCoite
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - Y Guida
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - P Příbylová
- RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - K Pozo
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad San Sebastián, Lientur 1457, Concepción, Chile; RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, Brno, Czech Republic.
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17
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Cheng W, Zhou Y, Xie Y, Li Y, Zhou R, Wang H, Feng Y, Wang Y. Combined effect of polystyrene microplastics and bisphenol A on the human embryonic stem cells-derived liver organoids: The hepatotoxicity and lipid accumulation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 854:158585. [PMID: 36089014 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Human are exposed to microplastics (MP) via inhalation or ingestion daily and inevitably. The liver is an important target organ of MP. Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of commonly used plasticizers. It is added in plastics, but also generally detected in the biological samples of human beings. However, the combined toxic effect of MP and BPA on human liver is unclear. In this study, a novel 3D in vitro model, the liver organoid (LO) derived from human-pluripotent stem cells, has been utilized to explore the 1 μm polystyrene (PS)-induced hepatotoxicity with BPA individually and jointly. Conclusively, all the changes in the cytotoxicity, cellular and molecular makers regarding the energy supplement, hepatic injury, oxidative stress, inflammatory response, disruption in the lipid accumulation, as well as epigenetics regulation induced by BPA or PS on the LOs individually were comparable to previous study. The BPA levels in the culture medium were declined by the added PS. The combined adverse effect of PS and BPA on the LOs was identified to be synergistic upon deteriorated hepatotoxicity and interfered the gene panels related to multiple processes of lipid metabolism, together with the proteins of HNF4A, CD36, ACC1, CPT1A, CYP2E1, ERα and ERβ. Specifically, PS didn't change the ERα or ERβ individually, but when the LOs were co-exposed to PS and BPA, the ERα further elevated significantly and synergistically. Our findings highlight the metabolic-related health risk due to co-exposure to MP and BPA, even at low-doses equivalent to human internal exposure level. Based on these findings, the potential adverse outcome pathway related to PS and BPA singly and jointly were proposed, predicting two possible outcomes to be hepatic steatosis. Moreover, the ERα and HNF4A were proposed to be potential candidate markers to investigate the "vector-like effect" of PS in the present of BPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Cheng
- School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yue Zhou
- School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yichun Xie
- School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yan Li
- School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ren Zhou
- The Ninth People's Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Hui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related Genes, Center for Single-Cell Omics, School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yan Feng
- School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yan Wang
- The Ninth People's Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, School of Public Health, Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center for Translational Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
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18
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Pan Y, Gao SH, Ge C, Gao Q, Huang S, Kang Y, Luo G, Zhang Z, Fan L, Zhu Y, Wang AJ. Removing microplastics from aquatic environments: A critical review. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ECOTECHNOLOGY 2023; 13:100222. [PMID: 36483746 PMCID: PMC9722483 DOI: 10.1016/j.ese.2022.100222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
As one of the typical emerging contaminants, microplastics exist widely in the environment because of their small size and recalcitrance, which has caused various ecological problems. This paper summarizes current adsorption and removal technologies of microplastics in typical aquatic environments, including natural freshwater, marine, drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs), and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and includes abiotic and biotic degradation technologies as one of the removal technologies. Recently, numerous studies have shown that enrichment technologies have been widely used to remove microplastics in natural freshwater environments, DWTPs, and WWTPs. Efficient removal of microplastics via WWTPs is critical to reduce the release to the natural environment as a key connection point to prevent the transfer of microplastics from society to natural water systems. Photocatalytic technology has outstanding pre-degradation effects on microplastics, and the isolated microbial strains or enriched communities can degrade up to 50% or more of pre-processed microplastics. Thus, more research focusing on microplastic degradation could be carried out by combining physical and chemical pretreatment with subsequent microbial biodegradation. In addition, the current recovery technologies of microplastics are introduced in this review. This is incredibly challenging because of the small size and dispersibility of microplastics, and the related technologies still need further development. This paper will provide theoretical support and advice for preventing and controlling the ecological risks mediated by microplastics in the aquatic environment and share recommendations for future research on the removal and recovery of microplastics in various aquatic environments, including natural aquatic environments, DWTPs, and WWTPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusheng Pan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Shu-Hong Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Chang Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Qun Gao
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Sijing Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Yuanyuan Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Gaoyang Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Ziqi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Lu Fan
- Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
| | - Yongming Zhu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China
| | - Ai-Jie Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China
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19
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He S, Wei Y, Yang C, He Z. Interactions of microplastics and soil pollutants in soil-plant systems. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 315:120357. [PMID: 36220572 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, increasing studies have been reported on characterization and detection of microplastics (MPs), and their interactions with organic pollutants (OPs) and heavy metals (HMs) in soils. However, a comprehensive review on the characteristics and factors that influence MPs distribution in soils, the sorption characteristics and mechanisms of soil contaminants by MPs, especially the interactions of MPs and their complexes with pollutants in the soil-plant systems remains rarely available at present. This review focuses on the sorption features and mechanisms of pollutants by MPs in soil and discussed the effects of MPs and their complexing with pollutants on soil properties, microbe and plants. The polarity of MPs significantly influenced the sorption of OPs, and different sorption mechanisms are involved for the hydrophobic and hydrophilic OPs. The sorption of OPs on MPs in soils is different from that in water. Aging of MPs can promote the sorption and migration of contaminants. The enhanced effects of biofilm in microplastisphere on the sorption of pollutants by MPs are critical, and interactions of soil environment-MPs-microbe-HMs-antibiotics increase the potential pathogens and larger release of resistance genes. The coexistence of HMs and MPs affected the growth of plants and the uptake of HMs and MPs by the plants. Moreover, the type, dose, shape and particle size of MPs have important influences on their interactions with pollutants and subsequent effects on soil properties, microbial activities and plant growth. This review also pointed out some knowledge gaps and constructive countermeasures to promote future research in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanying He
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Recycling, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310012, China.
| | - Yufei Wei
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Recycling, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310012, China
| | - Chunping Yang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Pollution Processes and Control, Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Pollution Control of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming, Guangdong, 525000, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, and Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministryof Education, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, China
| | - Zhenli He
- Department Soil and Water Sciences / Indian River Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Fort Pierce, Florida, 34945, USA
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20
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Battulga B, Atarashi-Andoh M, Nakanishi T, Koarashi J. A new approach to extracting biofilm from environmental plastics using ultrasound-assisted syringe treatment for isotopic analyses. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 849:157758. [PMID: 35926621 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Plastics are one of the ubiquitous and artificial types of substrates for microbial colonization and biofilm development in the aquatic environment. Characterizing plastic-associated biofilms is key to the better understanding of organic material and mineral cycling in the "Plastisphere"-the thin layer of microbial life on plastics. In this study, we propose a new method to extract biofilms from environmental plastics, in order to evaluate the properties of biofilm-derived organic matter through stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope signatures and their interactions with radionuclides especially radiocesium (137Cs). The extraction method is simple and cost-effective, requiring only an ultrasonic bath, disposable plastic syringes, and a freeze drier. After ultrasound-assisted separation from the plastics, biofilm samples were successfully collected via a sequence of syringe treatments, with less contamination from plastics and other mineral particles. Effective removal of small microplastics from the experimental suspension was satisfactorily achieved using the method with syringe treatments. Biofilm-derived organic matter samples (14.5-65.4 mg) from four river mouths in Japan showed 137Cs activity concentrations of <75 to 820 Bq·kg-1 biofilm (dw), providing evidence that environmental plastics, mediated by developed biofilms, serve as a carrier for 137Cs in the coastal riverine environment. Significant differences in the δ13C and δ15N signatures were also obtained for the biofilms, indicating the different sources, pathways, and development processes of biofilms on plastics. We demonstrate here a straightforward method for extracting biofilms from environmental plastics; the results obtained with this method could provide useful insights into the plastic-associated nutrient cycling in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Batdulam Battulga
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan.
| | - Mariko Atarashi-Andoh
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
| | - Takahiro Nakanishi
- Sector of Fukushima Research and Development, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Fukushima 975-0036, Japan
| | - Jun Koarashi
- Nuclear Science and Engineering Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Ibaraki 319-1195, Japan
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21
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Zhang Y, Peng Y, Xu S, Zhang S, Zhou G, Yang J, Li H, Zhang J. Distribution characteristics of microplastics in urban rivers in Chengdu city: The influence of land-use type and population and related suggestions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 846:157411. [PMID: 35853526 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157411] [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: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In this study, microplastics (MPs) in urban rivers in the Chengdu eco-zone were systematically studied. Microscopic observations and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy were used to determine the microplastic (MP) types. The MPs abundance ranged from 20.92 items/L to 762.95 items/L in water and from 20.92 items/100 g dry weight to 58.57 items/100 g dry weight in sediment. In both the water sample and sediment samples, the dominant MPs morphologies were fibres, lumps, and fragments, and the size of MPs was predominantly distributed in the 50-500 μm rage. The primary polymers were polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Locations with large populations and large areas of woodland and construction land tended to exhibit higher concentrations of MPs. Additionally, compared to water samples, sediment exhibited a more reliable correlation fitting data, thus indicating that sediment was more stable in reflecting the presence of MPs in rivers. This study supplemented the gap in MPs pollution in urban rivers in Chengdu city and discussed the impact of land use and population on the distribution of MPs. Suggestions were provided to alleviate MPs pollution in urban rivers from the perspective of urban planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanting Zhang
- College of Architecture & Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Yuting Peng
- College of Architecture & Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Suzhou Xu
- College of Architecture & Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Shijin Zhang
- College of Architecture & Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Guanyu Zhou
- College of Architecture & Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Jie Yang
- College of Architecture & Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
| | - Heng Li
- College of Architecture & Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
| | - Jing Zhang
- College of Architecture & Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
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22
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Udenby FAO, Almuhtaram H, McKie MJ, Andrews RC. Adsorption of fluoranthene and phenanthrene by virgin and weathered polyethylene microplastics in freshwaters. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 307:135585. [PMID: 35817185 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Concern exists regarding potential health impacts associated with contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) that adsorb to microplastics (MPs). Previous studies have examined MPs as potential contaminant vectors in marine environments as opposed to freshwaters that represent drinking water sources. This study examined adsorption of two polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenanthrene and fluoranthene, by virgin and weathered polyethylene (PE) in both artificial and natural freshwater matrices. Adsorption kinetics and isotherms conducted in artificial freshwater (AFW) consistently showed higher adsorption onto smaller (200 μm) PE when compared to 1090 μm PE. Adsorption mechanisms were primarily associated with hydrophobic interactions and monolayer chemisorption. As well, environmental factors including dissolved organic matter (DOC), pH, and polymer weathering also impacted adsorption. This work provides new insights regarding the adsorption of organic pollutants to better understand the risk of MPs in drinking water sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florence A O Udenby
- Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, 35 St. George St., Toronto, ON, M5S1A4, Canada.
| | - Husein Almuhtaram
- Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, 35 St. George St., Toronto, ON, M5S1A4, Canada.
| | - Michael J McKie
- Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, 35 St. George St., Toronto, ON, M5S1A4, Canada.
| | - Robert C Andrews
- Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, 35 St. George St., Toronto, ON, M5S1A4, Canada.
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23
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Insights into heteroaggregation of polystyrene nanoplastics with hematite nanoparticles and configuration-dependent adsorption for PFOA and PFOS. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2022.129467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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24
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Zhang Z, Zhao S, Chen L, Duan C, Zhang X, Fang L. A review of microplastics in soil: Occurrence, analytical methods, combined contamination and risks. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 306:119374. [PMID: 35490998 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) pollution is becoming a serious environmental issue of global concern. Currently, the effects of MPs on aquatic ecosystems have been studied in detail and in depth from species to communities. However, soils, the largest reservoir of MPs, have been less studied, and little is known about the occurrence, environmental fate and ecological impacts of MPs. Therefore, based on the existing knowledge, this paper firstly focused specifically on the main sources of soil MPs pollution and explored the main reasons for their strong heterogeneity in spatial distribution. Secondly, as a primary prerequisite for evaluating MPs contamination, we systematically summarized the analytical methods for soil MPs and critically compared the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods in the various operational steps. Furthermore, this review highlighted the combined contamination of MPs with complex chemical contaminants, the sorption mechanisms and the associated factors in the soil. Finally, the risks posed by MPs to soil, plants, the food chain and even humans were outlined, and future directions for soil MPs research were proposed, while the urgent need for a unified approach to MPs extraction and identification was emphasized. This study provides a theoretical reference for a comprehensive understanding of the separation of soil MPs and their ecological risk as carriers of pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqin Zhang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China; State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Shuling Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Li Chen
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China; State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Chengjiao Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Xingchang Zhang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China; State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Linchuan Fang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China; State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi'an, 710061, China.
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25
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Wei W, Zhang YT, Wang C, Guo W, Ngo HH, Chen X, Ni BJ. Responses of anaerobic hydrogen-producing granules to acute microplastics exposure during biological hydrogen production from wastewater. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 220:118680. [PMID: 35671684 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.118680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic hydrogen-producing granule (AHPG) has been successfully applied in hydrogen production from wastewater. While various types of microplastics in large amounts are readily detected in both municipal and industrial wastewaters, however, to date the response of AHPG to multiple coexisting microplastics in wastewater is unknown yet. Herein, this study provided a first insight into the acute exposure-response relationship between multiple coexisting microplastics and the AHPG during biological hydrogen production from wastewater. Fluorescence tagging found that many microplastics accumulated and covered on the surface of the whole granule. Morphology and particle size of microplastics-bearing AHPG were characterized by microscopic observation, showing that the shock load of microplastics in the wastewater at the studied concentrations (40 and 80 mg/L) made the granule loose and even break down with the decreased particle size. The visualization of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) structure revealed that microplastics decreased EPS production by 8.8-16.7%. Microbial community analysis demonstrated that the acute exposure of microplastics did not drive the change in the microbial community diversity and composition. However, toxic leachates and upgraded oxidative stress induced by microplastics increased cell death up to 14.7% and decreased hydrogen production by 18.7%, when the AHPG exposed to 80 mg/L of microplastics. This work gained a new insight into the response of anaerobic microorganisms to coexisting microplastics in the real environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wei
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater (CTWW), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Yu-Ting Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Chen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Wenshan Guo
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater (CTWW), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Huu Hao Ngo
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater (CTWW), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Xueming Chen
- Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Rural Waste Recycling Technology, College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fujian 350116, China
| | - Bing-Jie Ni
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater (CTWW), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.
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26
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Dey S, Rout AK, Behera BK, Ghosh K. Plastisphere community assemblage of aquatic environment: plastic-microbe interaction, role in degradation and characterization technologies. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2022; 17:32. [PMID: 35739580 PMCID: PMC9230103 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-022-00430-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
It is undeniable that plastics are ubiquitous and a threat to global ecosystems. Plastic waste is transformed into microplastics (MPs) through physical and chemical disruption processes within the aquatic environment. MPs are detected in almost every environment due to their worldwide transportability through ocean currents or wind, which allows them to reach even the most remote regions of our planet. MPs colonized by biofilm-forming microbial communities are known as the ''plastisphere". The revelation that this unique substrate can aid microbial dispersal has piqued interest in the ground of microbial ecology. MPs have synergetic effects on the development, transportation, persistence, and ecology of microorganisms. This review summarizes the studies of plastisphere in recent years and the microbial community assemblage (viz. autotrophs, heterotrophs, predators, and pathogens). We also discussed plastic-microbe interactions and the potential sources of plastic degrading microorganisms. Finally, it also focuses on current technologies used to characterize those microbial inhabitants and recommendations for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujata Dey
- Aquatic Environmental Biotechnology and Nanotechnology Division, ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700120, India
| | - Ajaya Kumar Rout
- Aquatic Environmental Biotechnology and Nanotechnology Division, ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700120, India
| | - Bijay Kumar Behera
- Aquatic Environmental Biotechnology and Nanotechnology Division, ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700120, India.
| | - Koushik Ghosh
- Aquaculture Laboratory, Department of Zoology, The University of Burdwan, Golapbag, Burdwan, West Bengal, 713104, India.
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27
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Barhoumi B, Sander SG, Tolosa I. A review on per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) in microplastic and food-contact materials. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 206:112595. [PMID: 34929191 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Plastic, paper and cardboard are widely used as food contact materials (FCMs), due to its numerous favourable characteristics. However, they are usually coated with hazardous substances, such as per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs). PFASs, with its functional properties of oil- and water-repellency, can migrate from FCMs into the food and cause potential risk to human health. There are also increasing concerns about the harm that FCMs can cause to the environment. These concerns include accumulation of non-degradable plastics in the environment, generation of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics, and release of PFASs from FCMs. While many reviews have been conducted on PFASs in the environment, including their occurrence, fate, toxicity, biodegradation, migration in ecosystems and remediation technologies, a systematic review of PFASs in FCMs and MPs is currently lacking. In addition, our knowledge of the PFAS sorption processes on MPs is rather limited, and in particular their desorption processes. Thus, this review aims to (1) review the presence of various classes of PFASs in FCMs and their migration into food, (2) review the PFASs in MPs and summarize the sorption mechanisms, and factors that influence their sorption behaviour on MPs in the aquatic environment, and (3) identify the current research gaps and future research directions to predict the risks associated with the presence and sorption of PFASs in FCMs and MPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Badreddine Barhoumi
- IAEA Environment Laboratories, 4a Quai Antoine 1er, 98000, Monaco, Principality of, Monaco.
| | - Sylvia G Sander
- IAEA Environment Laboratories, 4a Quai Antoine 1er, 98000, Monaco, Principality of, Monaco; GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Wischhofstr. 1-3, 24148, Kiel, Germany
| | - Imma Tolosa
- IAEA Environment Laboratories, 4a Quai Antoine 1er, 98000, Monaco, Principality of, Monaco.
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28
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Michler-Kozma DN, Neu TR, Gabel F. Environmental conditions affect the food quality of plastic associated biofilms for the benthic grazer Physa fontinalis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 816:151663. [PMID: 34780829 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
With an ever-increasing amount of plastic pollution in the various aquatic ecosystems around the world, the effects on organisms are still not fully understood. Most studies focus on direct effects posed by plastic intake or entanglement, but plastic debris can also affect primary production of biofilms and have an indirect impact on its consumers. This study investigates the primary production on three common plastic types in freshwater and its food quality for a benthic grazer. We hypothesized that different polymer types affect biofilm composition as well as the life parameters of its consumers. We incubated polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene (PS) as well as glass (control) in a productive freshwater creek for natural biofilm establishment. To account for changes in the environmental conditions, the experiment was conducted twice during winter and late spring, respectively. These biofilms were offered to the freshwater gastropod Physa fontinalis as sole food source. Growth and reproduction of the snails were measured to monitor sublethal effects. Additionally, biofilm composition was observed using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). In winter, snails feeding off PET and PE showed a significantly lower egg production and lower growth rates were observed on PET. No such effects occurred in spring. CLSM data revealed, that algal growth was significantly lower on PE and PET during the winter treatment compared to PS and glass. Since we could only find these effects during the colder and darker months (January-March), the microbial colonization on PE and PET was inhibited by the substrate under less favorable conditions of temperature and light. Hence, benign conditions may mask the adverse effects of microplastic on food webs. Our findings show that future studies on the plastisphere will need to consider such variations to further understand the influence of plastic pollution on primary production and higher trophic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana N Michler-Kozma
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Heisenbergstraße 2, 48149 Münster, Germany.
| | - Thomas R Neu
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH-UFZ, Brückstraße 3a, 39114 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Friederike Gabel
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Heisenbergstraße 2, 48149 Münster, Germany
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29
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Talbot R, Chang H. Microplastics in freshwater: A global review of factors affecting spatial and temporal variations. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 292:118393. [PMID: 34678395 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 59.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics are a pollutant of growing concern, capable of harming aquatic organisms and entering the food web. While freshwater microplastic research has expanded in recent years, much remains unknown regarding the sources and delivery pathways of microplastics in these environments. This review aims to address the scientific literature regarding the spatial and temporal factors affecting global freshwater microplastic distributions and abundances. A total of 75 papers, published through June 2021 and containing an earliest publication date of October 2014, was identified by a Web of Science database search. Microplastic spatial distributions are heavily influenced by anthropogenic factors, with higher concentrations reported in regions characterized by urban land cover, high population density, and wastewater treatment plant effluent. Spatial distributions may also be affected by physical watershed characteristics such as slope and elevation (positive and negative correlations with microplastic concentrations, respectively), although few studies address these factors. Temporal variables of influence include precipitation and stormwater runoff (positive correlations) and water flow/discharge (negative correlations). Despite these overarching trends, variations in study results may be due to differing scales or contributing area delineations. Thus, more rigorous and standardized spatial analytical methods are needed. Future research could simultaneously evaluate both spatial and temporal factors and incorporate finer temporal resolutions into sampling campaigns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Talbot
- Department of Geography, Portland State University, Portland, OR, 97201, USA
| | - Heejun Chang
- Department of Geography, Portland State University, Portland, OR, 97201, USA.
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30
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Monikh FA, Durão M, Kipriianov PV, Huuskonen H, Kekäläinen J, Uusi-Heikkilä S, Uurasjärvi E, Akkanen J, Kortet R. Chemical composition and particle size influence the toxicity of nanoscale plastic debris and their co-occurring benzo(α)pyrene in the model aquatic organisms Daphnia magna and Danio rerio. NANOIMPACT 2022; 25:100382. [PMID: 35559888 DOI: 10.1016/j.impact.2022.100382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about how particle chemical composition and size might influence the toxicity of nanoscale plastic debris (NPD) and their co-occurring chemicals. Herein, we investigate the toxicity of 3 × 1010 particles/L polyethylene (PE, 50 nm), polypropylene (PP, 50 nm), polystyrene (PS, 200 and 600 nm), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC, 200 nm) NPD and their co-occurring benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) to Daphnia magna and Danio rerio. During the 21 days of exposure to PE 50 nm and PS 200 nm, the number of broods produced by D. magna decreased compared to other treatments. Exposure to BaP alone did not produce any effects on the reproduction of the daphnids, however, the mixture of BaP with PS (200 or 600 nm) or with PE (50 nm) reduced the number of broods. Exposure of D. rerio embryos to PE 50 nm, PS 200 nm, and PS 600 nm led to a delay in the hatching. The presence of PS 200 nm and PVC 200 nm eliminated the effects of BaP on the hatching rate of zebrafish. Our findings suggest that data generated for the toxicity of one type of NPD, e.g. PVC or PS may not be extrapolated to other types of NPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fazel Abdolahpur Monikh
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland.
| | - Manuela Durão
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland
| | - Pavel Vladimirovich Kipriianov
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland
| | - Hannu Huuskonen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland
| | - Jukka Kekäläinen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland
| | - Silva Uusi-Heikkilä
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, 40014 University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Emilia Uurasjärvi
- SIB Labs, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Jarkko Akkanen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland
| | - Raine Kortet
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland
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31
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Masry M, Rossignol S, Gardette JL, Therias S, Bussière PO, Wong-Wah-Chung P. Characteristics, fate, and impact of marine plastic debris exposed to sunlight: A review. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 171:112701. [PMID: 34245992 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The increase of plastic production from the middle of the twentieth century was inevitably followed by an increase in the amount of plastic dumped in the natural environment. There, the plastic debris are exposed to sunlight, temperature, humidity, and physical stress. This can induce photo-oxidative and thermal degradation. This review discusses the mechanism of plastics UV weathering and its characteristics. Comparison of the photodegradation rate and physico-chemical properties are made according to the weathering mode (natural/accelerated) and medium (air/water). Since the photodegradation can lead to plastics fragmentation, this phenomenon is described along with the methodologies used in literature to evaluate the fragmentation. The impact of the photodegraded plastic debris on the marine environment is also presented in term of (i) photodegradation products and stabilizers leakage, (ii) organic pollutants accumulation, transfer, and leakage, and (iii) toxicity on marine organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Masry
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LCE, Marseille, France.
| | | | - Jean-Luc Gardette
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, UMR 6296, Université Blaise Pascal, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand (ICCF), 8 Avenue Blaise Pascal, TSA 60026, CS 60026, 63178 Aubière cedex, France.
| | - Sandrine Therias
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, UMR 6296, Université Blaise Pascal, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand (ICCF), 8 Avenue Blaise Pascal, TSA 60026, CS 60026, 63178 Aubière cedex, France.
| | - Pierre-Olivier Bussière
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, UMR 6296, Université Blaise Pascal, Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand (ICCF), 8 Avenue Blaise Pascal, TSA 60026, CS 60026, 63178 Aubière cedex, France.
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32
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Xu X, Zhang L, Jian Y, Xue Y, Gao Y, Peng M, Jiang S, Zhang Q. Influence of wastewater treatment process on pollution characteristics and fate of microplastics. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 169:112448. [PMID: 34022558 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The increasing abundance of microplastics (MPs) in rivers and oceans continues to face major challenges. In particular, MPs with smaller particle sizes are difficult to identify and quantify when they reach the environment. This study investigated four typical wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), including urban WWTPs and industrial WWTP with different treatment technologies. The results showed that the average abundance of MPs in the influent and effluent was 538.67 ± 22.05 n/L to 1290 ± 65.26 n/L and 20.44 ± 1.19 n/L to 40.67 ± 11.12 n/L. The primary and secondary treatment processes can effectively remove MPs between 51.04% and 72.82% from wastewater. After tertiary treatments, the removal efficiency was further increased to more than 90%. The study aims to explore the removal mechanism of MPs in each stage of the wastewater treatment process and to reveal the fate of MPs in WWTPs, and help to understand their future monitoring to optimize the wastewater treatment process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Xu
- School of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Jiangsu, Changzhou 213164, China; State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Jiangsu, Nanjing 210093, China.
| | - Ling Zhang
- School of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Jiangsu, Changzhou 213164, China
| | - Yun Jian
- School of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Jiangsu, Changzhou 213164, China
| | - Yingang Xue
- School of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Jiangsu, Changzhou 213164, China
| | - Yu Gao
- School of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Jiangsu, Changzhou 213164, China
| | - Mingguo Peng
- School of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Jiangsu, Changzhou 213164, China
| | - Shanqing Jiang
- School of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Jiangsu, Changzhou 213164, China
| | - Qiuya Zhang
- School of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Jiangsu, Changzhou 213164, China
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Neumann S, Harju M, Herzke D, Anker-Nilssen T, Christensen-Dalsgaard S, Langset M, Gabrielsen GW. Ingested plastics in northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis): A pathway for polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) exposure? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 778:146313. [PMID: 33721646 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Although it has been suggested that plastic may act as a vector for pollutants into the tissue of seabirds, the bioaccumulation of harmful contaminants, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), released from ingested plastics is poorly understood. Plastic ingestion by the procellariiform species northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) is well documented. In this study, we measured PBDEs levels in liver tissue of northern fulmars without and with (0.13-0.43 g per individual) stomach plastics. PBDE concentrations in the plastic sampled from the same birds were also quantified. Birds were either found dead on beaches in southern Norway or incidentally caught in longline fisheries in northern Norway. PBDEs were detected in all birds but high concentrations were only found in liver samples from beached birds, peaking at 2900 ng/g lipid weight. We found that body condition was a significant factor explaining the elevated concentration levels in livers of beached birds. BDE209 was found in ingested plastic particles and liver tissue of birds with ingested plastics but was absent in the livers of birds without ingested plastics. This strongly suggests a plastic-derived transfer and accumulation of BDE209 to the tissue of fulmars, levels of which might prove useful as a general indicator of plastic ingestion in seabirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svenja Neumann
- NPI - Norwegian Polar Institute, FRAM - High North Research Centre on Climate and the Environment, P.O. Box 6606, Langnes, 9296 Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Mikael Harju
- NILU - Norwegian Institute for Air Research, FRAM - High North Research Centre on Climate and the Environment, P.O. Box 6606, Langnes, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Dorte Herzke
- NILU - Norwegian Institute for Air Research, FRAM - High North Research Centre on Climate and the Environment, P.O. Box 6606, Langnes, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Tycho Anker-Nilssen
- NINA - Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685, Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Magdalene Langset
- NINA - Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685, Torgarden, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Geir Wing Gabrielsen
- NPI - Norwegian Polar Institute, FRAM - High North Research Centre on Climate and the Environment, P.O. Box 6606, Langnes, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
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Kong F, Xu X, Xue Y, Gao Y, Zhang L, Wang L, Jiang S, Zhang Q. Investigation of the Adsorption of Sulfamethoxazole by Degradable Microplastics Artificially Aged by Chemical Oxidation. ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2021; 81:155-165. [PMID: 34043040 DOI: 10.1007/s00244-021-00856-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In this study, three different types of microplastics were aged by the thermal activation K2S2O8 method to investigate the adsorption behavior for sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in aqueous solution. The effects of pH, salinity and humic acid (HA) on adsorption behavior were also investigated. At the same time, the morphology and functional groups of microplastics before and after adsorption were characterized. As the aging time increased, the adsorption capacity of the microplastics also increased significantly. Whether it was pristine or aged, polylactic acid (PLA) had the highest adsorption capacity. The adsorption capacity of microplastics was the largest under acidic conditions, and its adsorption capacity decreased significantly in alkaline solutions. The presence of salinity inhibited the adsorption of SMX on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and PP, but the adsorption capacity of PLA increases when salinity was above 10‰. The adsorption of SMX on microplastics was promoted by HA. When the concentration of HA was 20 mg/L, the adsorption capacity of PLA and PET decreased. Kinetic and isotherm fits were applied to the adsorption process. The increase in sorption capacity was related to the development of holes and cracks and the enhanced number of surface oxygen-containing functional groups. The adsorption kinetics to pristine microplastics conformed to a pseudo-first-order kinetic model, while the kinetics of the aged microplastics conformed to a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. It implies that the adsorption of SMX by aging microplastics involves multiple processes. The adsorption isothermal adsorption process of SMX by microplastics accorded with Freundlich model, belonging to multi-layer adsorption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanxing Kong
- School of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Jiangsu, Changzhou, 213164, China
| | - Xia Xu
- School of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Jiangsu, Changzhou, 213164, China.
| | - Yingang Xue
- School of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Jiangsu, Changzhou, 213164, China
- Changzhou Environmental Monitoring Center, Jiangsu, Changzhou, 213001, China
| | - Yu Gao
- School of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Jiangsu, Changzhou, 213164, China
| | - Ling Zhang
- School of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Jiangsu, Changzhou, 213164, China
| | - Liping Wang
- School of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Jiangsu, Changzhou, 213164, China.
| | - Shanqing Jiang
- School of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Jiangsu, Changzhou, 213164, China
| | - Qiuya Zhang
- School of Environmental & Safety Engineering, Changzhou University, Jiangsu, Changzhou, 213164, China
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The Dual Role of Microplastics in Marine Environment: Sink and Vectors of Pollutants. JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/jmse9060642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
This review is a follow-up to a previous review published in Journal of Marine Science and Engineeringon the issues of accumulation, transport, and the effects of microplastics (MPs) in the oceans. The review brings together experimental laboratory, mathematical, and field data on the dual role of MPs as accumulators of hydrophobic persistent organic compounds (POPs), and their release-effect in the marine ecosystem. It also examines the carrier role, besides POPs, of new emerging categories of pollutants, such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). This role becomes increasingly important and significant as polymers age and surfaces become hydrophilic, increasing toxicity and effects of the new polymer-pollutant associations on marine food webs. It was not the intention to provide too many detailed examples of carriers and co-contaminants, exposed marine species, and effects. Instead, the views of two different schools of thought are reported and summarized: one that emphasizes the risks of transport, exposure, and risk beyond critical thresholds, and another that downplays this view.
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Dasgupta S, Peng X, Xu H, Ta K, Chen S, Li J, Du M. Deep seafloor plastics as the source and sink of organic pollutants in the northern South China Sea. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 765:144228. [PMID: 33412380 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Large plastic litter (as opposed to microplastics and plastic pellets) could adsorb organic pollutants and thus pose a serious threat to the marine environment. We report high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) adsorbed to plastic litter sampled from depths of 1800-3100 m in the Xisha Trough region of the northern South China Sea (NSCS). ∑PCBs on plastics ranged from 126.9-142.1 ng/g, with tri-PCBs accounting for 92-97% of the total PCB concentrations in all samples. Levels of ∑OCPs varied from 4280 to 5351 ng/g (average 4690 ng/g), with a total of 19 compounds detected in the seven samples. While no parent DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) was detected, op'-DDE (metabolite of DDT) was most abundant, with concentrations ranging from 947.5-1551.7 ng/g. ∑CHLs (heptachlor + heptachlor epoxide A + heptachlor epoxide B + cis-chlordane + trans-chlordane) ranged from 1083.1-1263.7 ng/g (mean 1153 ng/g) and accounted for 24% of ∑OCPs. Various compositional ratios of HCH (hexachlorocyclohexane) and DDT metabolites improved our understanding of the sources and transport pathways of OCPs. The total absence of DDT may be a "ghost indicator" of no recent DDT inputs into the oceans. There could well be inputs of DDT, but only as the degraded metabolites DDE and DDD when they are adsorbed to seafloor plastic litter. A comparison of HCH isomer ratios in seafloor plastics with technical HCH ratios revealed that HCHs were possibly not from early residues but from later inputs. An ecological risk assessment of the contaminants indicated a high risk from ∑DDTs, p,p-DDE, and γ-HCH in all the sampled locations. Finally, we propose a descriptive model depicting the movements and transportation of PCBs and OCPs from the ocean surface to seafloor plastics in the NSCS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shamik Dasgupta
- Deep Sea Science Division, Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya, Hainan 572000, China
| | - Xiaotong Peng
- Deep Sea Science Division, Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya, Hainan 572000, China.
| | - Hengchao Xu
- Deep Sea Science Division, Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya, Hainan 572000, China
| | - Kaiwen Ta
- Deep Sea Science Division, Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya, Hainan 572000, China
| | - Shun Chen
- Deep Sea Science Division, Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya, Hainan 572000, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519000, China
| | - Jiwei Li
- Deep Sea Science Division, Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya, Hainan 572000, China
| | - Mengran Du
- Deep Sea Science Division, Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya, Hainan 572000, China
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Atugoda T, Vithanage M, Wijesekara H, Bolan N, Sarmah AK, Bank MS, You S, Ok YS. Interactions between microplastics, pharmaceuticals and personal care products: Implications for vector transport. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2021; 149:106367. [PMID: 33497857 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 200] [Impact Index Per Article: 66.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 12/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics are well known for vector transport of hydrophobic organic contaminants, and there are growing concerns regarding their potential adverse effects on ecosystems and human health. However, recent studies focussing on hydrophilic compounds, such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), have shown that the compounds ability to be adsorbed onto plastic surfaces. The extensive use of PPCPs has led to their ubiquitous presence in the environment resulting in their cooccurrence with microplastics. The partitioning between plastics and PPCPs and their fate through vector transport are determined by various physicochemical characteristics and environmental conditions of specific matrices. Although the sorption capacities of microplastics for different PPCP compounds have been investigated extensively, these findings have not yet been synthesized and analyzed critically. The specific objectives of this review were to synthesize and critically assess the various factors that affect the adsorption of hydrophilic compounds such as PPCPs on microplastic surfaces and their fate and transport in the environment. The review also focuses on environmental factors such as pH, salinity, and dissolved organics, and properties of polymers and PPCP compounds, and the relationships with sorption dynamics and mechanisms. Furthermore, the ecotoxicological effects of PPCP-sorbed microplastics on biota and human health are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thilakshani Atugoda
- Ecosphere Resilience Research Center, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda 10250, Sri Lanka
| | - Meththika Vithanage
- Ecosphere Resilience Research Center, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda 10250, Sri Lanka.
| | - Hasintha Wijesekara
- Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Belihuloya 70140, Sri Lanka
| | - Nanthi Bolan
- Global Centre for Environmental Remediation (GCER), The University of Newcastle (UON), Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - Ajit K Sarmah
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | | | - Siming You
- James Watt School of Engineering, James Watt South Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Yong Sik Ok
- Korea Biochar Research Center, APRU Sustainable Waste Management Program & Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, South Korea.
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González-Pleiter M, Pedrouzo-Rodríguez A, Verdú I, Leganés F, Marco E, Rosal R, Fernández-Piñas F. Microplastics as vectors of the antibiotics azithromycin and clarithromycin: Effects towards freshwater microalgae. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 268:128824. [PMID: 33176914 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Revised: 10/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Water pollution due to microplastics (MPs) is recognized as a major anthropogenic impact. Once MPs reach the ecosystems, they are exposed to a variety of other pollutants, which can be sorbed on them, transported and eventually desorbed. In this work, we tested the hypothesis that MPs can behave as conveyors for delivering chemicals toxic to aquatic microorganisms by investigating the vector role of MPs of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polylactic acid (PLA), polyoxymethylene (POM) and polystyrene (PS) to the macrolide antibiotics azithromycin (AZI) and clarithromycin (CLA). AZI and CLA were chosen, as they are included in the Watch List for EU monitoring concerning water policy by Decision (EU) 2018/840. MPs were loaded in contact with 500 μg/L of AZI or 1000 μg/L of CLA. Results showed that both antibiotics were sorbed on all tested MPs. The more hydrophobic AZI was sorbed in higher proportion than CLA. Both antibiotics were desorbed from MPs upon contact with water with percentages between 14.6 ± 2.6% for AZI and 1.9 ± 1.4% for CLA of the concentrations to which the MPs were initially exposed. Virgin MPs were not toxic to the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC7120. However, antibiotic-loaded MPs significantly inhibited the growth and chlorophyll content of the cyanobacterium. Most of the sorbed antibiotics became released upon contact with cyanobacterial cultures, which was the cause for the observed toxicity. Therefore, MPs can play a role as vectors of antibiotics in freshwaters systems affecting the basic trophic level of photosynthetic microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel González-Pleiter
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, E-28049, Madrid, Spain; Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, E-28871, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Alicia Pedrouzo-Rodríguez
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, E-28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Irene Verdú
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, E-28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco Leganés
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, E-28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eduardo Marco
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, E-28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Roberto Rosal
- Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, E-28871, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisca Fernández-Piñas
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, E-28049, Madrid, Spain
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Gaylarde CC, Baptista Neto JA, da Fonseca EM. Nanoplastics in aquatic systems - are they more hazardous than microplastics? ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 272:115950. [PMID: 33303235 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The fragmentation of plastic materials into nanoparticles of less than 1000 nm (secondary nanoplastics) and their possible accumulation in the environment is a recent matter of concern. There are still no suitable standard methods for determining the concentrations and chemical makeup of these particles in aquatic systems and the fate and effect of nanoplastics in the aquatic environment has been little explored, although there has been research using engineered nanoparticles as models. In this review, we give a summary of the (mainly laboratory-based) studies on the influences of nanoplastics. We aim to provide an updated overview of this emerging topic, reviewing the literature mainly from 2018 onwards and considering the effects of nanoplastics on ecosystems, their uptake and transport of polluting molecules, and the challenges that are faced by workers in this area. The review includes 119 references.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine C Gaylarde
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, Oklahoma University, 770 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK, 73019, USA.
| | - José Antonio Baptista Neto
- Department of Geology and Geophysics/LAGEMAR, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Avenida Litorânea s/n, 24210-340, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Estefan Monteiro da Fonseca
- Department of Geology and Geophysics/LAGEMAR, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Avenida Litorânea s/n, 24210-340, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
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Thiagarajan V, Alex SA, Seenivasan R, Chandrasekaran N, Mukherjee A. Interactive effects of micro/nanoplastics and nanomaterials/pharmaceuticals: Their ecotoxicological consequences in the aquatic systems. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2021; 232:105747. [PMID: 33493974 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2021.105747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Micro/nanoplastics are ubiquitous in the environment and cause pollution of the aquatic ecosystem, in particular, which is a serious concern worldwide. Micro/nanoplastics can act as a vector for multiple co-contaminants that co-exist in the aquatic environment. Apart from micro/nanoplastics, nanomaterials and pharmaceuticals are other emerging contaminants that can also raise severe problems. Thus, in this review, the physicochemical interactions occurring between micro/nanoplastics and nanomaterials and pharmaceuticals and the factors (chemical and environmental) affecting the sorption efficiency of nanomaterials and pharmaceuticals have been addressed. Furthermore, the influence of micro/nanoplastics on the bioavailability and toxic effects of nanomaterials and pharmaceuticals on both freshwater and marine species has been highlighted. Additional focus has also been given to study the mechanism of toxicity of the micro/nanoplastics-nanomaterials and pharmaceuticals complex on the different species of different trophic levels. Finally, this review addresses the knowledge gaps and provides insights into the future research strategies to better understand the interactive mechanisms between the binary contaminants and also the toxicity mechanisms of micro/nanoplastics and nanomaterials and pharmaceuticals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vignesh Thiagarajan
- Centre for Nanobiotechnology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, India
| | - Sruthi Ann Alex
- Centre for Nano Science and Technology, Anna University, Chennai, India
| | - R Seenivasan
- Centre for Nanobiotechnology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, India
| | - N Chandrasekaran
- Centre for Nanobiotechnology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, India
| | - Amitava Mukherjee
- Centre for Nanobiotechnology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, India.
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Almeda R, Rodriguez-Torres R, Rist S, Winding MHS, Stief P, Hansen BH, Nielsen TG. Microplastics do not increase bioaccumulation of petroleum hydrocarbons in Arctic zooplankton but trigger feeding suppression under co-exposure conditions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 751:141264. [PMID: 32871308 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Arctic sea ice has alarmingly high concentrations of microplastics (MPs). Additionally, sea ice reduction in the Arctic is opening new opportunities for the oil and maritime industries, which could increase oil pollution in the region. Yet knowledge of the effects of co-exposure to MPs and crude oil on Arctic zooplankton is lacking. We tested the influence of MPs (polyethylene, 20.7 μm) on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) bioaccumulation and oil toxicity in the key arctic copepod Calanus hyperboreus after exposure to oil with and without dispersant. Up to 30% of the copepods stopped feeding and fecal pellet production rates were reduced after co-exposure to oil (1 μL L-1) and MPs (20 MPs mL-1). The PAH body burden was ~3 times higher in feeding than in non-feeding copepods. Copepods ingested both MPs and crude oil droplets. MPs did not influence bioaccumulation of PAHs in copepods or their fecal pellets, but chemical dispersant increased bioaccumulation, especially of ≥4 ring-PAHs. Our results suggest that MPs do not act as vectors of PAHs in Arctic marine food webs after oil spills, but, at high concentrations (20 MPs mL-1), MPs can trigger behavioral stress responses (e.g., feeding suppression) to oil pollution in zooplankton.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Almeda
- Section for Oceans and Arctic, DTU Aqua, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark.
| | - R Rodriguez-Torres
- Section for Oceans and Arctic, DTU Aqua, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
| | - S Rist
- DTU Environment, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
| | - M H S Winding
- Greenland Climate Research Centre, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Greenland
| | - P Stief
- University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
| | | | - T Gissel Nielsen
- Section for Oceans and Arctic, DTU Aqua, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
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Mammo FK, Amoah ID, Gani KM, Pillay L, Ratha SK, Bux F, Kumari S. Microplastics in the environment: Interactions with microbes and chemical contaminants. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 743:140518. [PMID: 32653705 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are contaminants of emerging concern that have gained considerable attention during the last few decades due to their adverse impact on living organisms and the environment. Recent studies have shown their ubiquitous presence in the environment including the atmosphere, soil, and water. Though several reviews have focused on the occurrence of microplastics in different habitats, little attention has been paid to their interaction with biological and chemical pollutants in the environment. This review therefore presents the state of knowledge on the interaction of MPs with chemicals and microbes in different environments. The distribution of MPs, the association of toxic chemicals with MPs, microbial association with MPs and the microbial-induced fate of MPs in the environment are discussed. The biodegradation and bioaccumulation of MPs by and in microbes and its potential impact on the food chain are also reviewed. The mechanisms driving these interactions and how these, in turn, affect living organisms however are not yet fully understood and require further attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- F K Mammo
- Institute for Water and Wastewater Treatment, Durban University of Technology, P.O. Box 1334, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - I D Amoah
- Institute for Water and Wastewater Treatment, Durban University of Technology, P.O. Box 1334, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - K M Gani
- Institute for Water and Wastewater Treatment, Durban University of Technology, P.O. Box 1334, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - L Pillay
- Institute for Water and Wastewater Treatment, Durban University of Technology, P.O. Box 1334, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - S K Ratha
- Institute for Water and Wastewater Treatment, Durban University of Technology, P.O. Box 1334, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - F Bux
- Institute for Water and Wastewater Treatment, Durban University of Technology, P.O. Box 1334, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - S Kumari
- Institute for Water and Wastewater Treatment, Durban University of Technology, P.O. Box 1334, Durban 4000, South Africa.
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Tian Z, Kim SK, Hyun JH. Environmental Distribution of Styrene Oligomers (SOs) Coupled with Their Source Characteristics: Tracing the Origin of SOs in the Environment. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2020; 398:122968. [PMID: 32768830 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Despite growing concerns regarding plastic additives, their environmental fate coupled with leaching from source materials are not well known. Styrene oligomers (SOs), which are unintended additives in expanded polystyrene (EPS), are estrogenic micropollutants. Here, we identified the effects of their potential sources (i.e., EPS buoy and its leachate) and environmental dilution on SO distribution within coastal sediments. SO content in fresh EPS particles was 0.1% (w/w), dominated by 2,4,6-triphenyl-hexene (ST-1), while 2,4-diphenyl-1-butene (SD-2) accounted for most of the SOs in EPS leachate, indicating its faster leachability. In lake and offshore environments, the SO composition profiles from their terrestrial inputs and inner sites were similar to those of EPS leachate; meanwhile, the exponentially decreasing SO concentration and increasing styrene trimers (STs) fraction with distance from the inner to outer sites were evident. These profiles indicated continuous SO leaching from their potential sources in the inland, followed by a change in SOs due to environmental dilution. SOs in beach sediment implied the presence of micro-sized EPS particles. We suggest the ST-1 to SD-2 ratio as an index to differentiate among freshly leached SOs (∼0.02), environmentally diluted SOs after leaching (∼0.1), SOs in fresh EPS (∼1.2), and SOs in aged EPS (> 2).
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhexi Tian
- Department of Marine Science, College of Natural Sciences, Incheon National University, 119 Academy-ro (Songdo-dong), Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung-Kyu Kim
- Department of Marine Science, College of Natural Sciences, Incheon National University, 119 Academy-ro (Songdo-dong), Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea; Institute of Basic Science, Incheon National University, Academy-ro 119, Yeounsu-gu, Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jung-Ho Hyun
- Department of Marine Science and Convergence Technology, Hanyang University, 55 Hanyangdaehak-ro, Sangrok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do 15588, Republic of Korea
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Kutralam-Muniasamy G, Pérez-Guevara F, Elizalde-Martínez I, Shruti VC. An overview of recent advances in micro/nano beads and microfibers research: Critical assessment and promoting the less known. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 740:139991. [PMID: 32559531 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Uptake and toxicity of microplastics (<5 mm) on organisms has merited substantial attention from scientific and research communities. Micro- (1-5000 μm) and nano- (<1 μm) beads have been recognized as promising polymeric particles globally to assess risks for organisms after ingestion. Microfibers (<5 mm) are abundant worldwide, but studies demonstrating their impacts on organisms are only emerging and remain poorly understood. The goal of this review is to facilitate the research of microfibers towards risk assessments and understanding of their health effects on organisms. This paper examines the abundance, size, shapes, colors, and polymer types of micro/nano beads and microfibers in different environments as well as summarizes the existing knowledge related to the potential effects on organisms demonstrated from laboratory-based studies. It therefore also reviews and compares current methodologies used to synthesize microfibers for ingestion studies and further, documents their effects on organisms, critically assessing the knowledge gaps that need urgent attention in this rapidly developing research field. Taking together, this article will be useful to the microplastic scientific community and provide helpful referential information to those currently engaged in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gurusamy Kutralam-Muniasamy
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
| | - Fermín Pérez-Guevara
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, Mexico; Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Program, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - I Elizalde-Martínez
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Centro Mexicano para la Producción más Limpia (CMP+L), Av. Acueducto s/n, Col. Barrio la Laguna Ticomán, Del Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07340 México, D.F., Mexico
| | - V C Shruti
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Centro Mexicano para la Producción más Limpia (CMP+L), Av. Acueducto s/n, Col. Barrio la Laguna Ticomán, Del Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07340 México, D.F., Mexico.
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45
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Town RM, van Leeuwen HP. Uptake and Release Kinetics of Organic Contaminants Associated with Micro- and Nanoplastic Particles. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2020; 54:10057-10067. [PMID: 32700905 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c02297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
A generic theoretical framework is presented for describing the kinetics of uptake and release of organic compounds that associate with plastic particles. The underlying concepts account for the physicochemical features of the target organic compounds and the plastic particles. The developed framework builds on concepts established for dynamic speciation analysis by solid-phase microextraction and the size-dependent reactivity features of particulate complexants. The theoretical framework is applied to interpretation of literature data, thereby providing more rigorous insights into previous observations. The presented concepts enable predictions of the sink/source functioning of plastic particles and their impact on the dynamic chemical speciation of organic compounds in aqueous environmental media and within biota. Our results highlight the fundamental influence of particle size on the uptake and release kinetics. The findings call for a comprehensive description of the physicochemical features of plastic particles to be provided in experimental studies on micro- and nanoplastics in different types of aquatic environmental media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raewyn M Town
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research (SPHERE), Department of Biology, Universiteit Antwerpen, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University & Research, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Herman P van Leeuwen
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University & Research, Stippeneng 4, 6708 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Costa ST, Rudnitskaya A, Vale C, Guilhermino L, Botelho MJ. Sorption of okadaic acid lipophilic toxin onto plastics in seawater. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2020; 157:111322. [PMID: 32658687 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The present study tested under laboratorial conditions the sorption of okadaic acid (OA), a lipophilic toxin produced by marine phytoplankton, onto 6-mm plastic circular fragments. Fragments (4 g L-1) of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), expanded polystyrene (EPS) and non-expanded polystyrene (PS) were exposed for 96 h to seawater spiked with 10 ng mL-1 of OA. Results of the experiments showed a broad percentage of OA removed from the water by plastics after 48 h of exposure: 30 ± 5.1% (PET), 37 ± 9.5% (PP), 62 ± 7.1% (EPS) and 83 ± 1.9% (PS). Sorption appears to be highly influenced by polymer's characteristics, such as polarity and degree of crystallinity. Further studies are needed to clarify the effect of the contact area on sorption by expanded plastics. These results point to the plausible interaction of OA and plastics in coastal waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara T Costa
- IPMA, Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere, Av. Alfredo Magalhães Ramalho 6, 1495-165 Algés, Portugal; CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Alisa Rudnitskaya
- CESAM, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Campus Universitário de Santiago, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - Carlos Vale
- CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Lúcia Guilhermino
- ICBAS, Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute, University of Porto, Largo Prof. Abel Salazar, 2, 4099-003 Porto, Portugal.
| | - Maria João Botelho
- IPMA, Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere, Av. Alfredo Magalhães Ramalho 6, 1495-165 Algés, Portugal; CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
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Scherer C, Wolf R, Völker J, Stock F, Brennhold N, Reifferscheid G, Wagner M. Toxicity of microplastics and natural particles in the freshwater dipteran Chironomus riparius: Same same but different? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 711:134604. [PMID: 31818558 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MP) are contaminants of emerging concern in aquatic ecosystems. While the number of studies is rapidly increasing, a comparison of the toxicity of MP and natural particulate matter is largely missing. In addition, research focusses on the impacts of hydrophobic chemicals sorbed to plastics. However, the interactive effects of MP and hydrophilic, dissolved chemicals remain largely unknown. Therefore, we conducted chronic toxicity studies with larvae of the freshwater dipteran Chironomus riparius exposed to unplasticised polyvinyl chloride MP (PVC-MP) as well as kaolin and diatomite as reference materials for 28 days. In addition, we investigated the effects of particles in combination with the neonicotinoid imidacloprid in a multiple-stressor experiment. High concentrations of kaolin positively affected the chironomids. In contrast, exposure to diatomite and PVC-MP reduced the emergence and mass of C. riparius. Likewise, the toxicity of imidacloprid was enhanced in the presence of PVC-MP and slightly decreased in the co-exposure with kaolin. Overall, parallel experiments and chemical analysis indicate that the toxicity of PVC-MP was not caused by leached or sorbed chemicals. Our study demonstrates that PVC-MP induce more severe effects than both natural particulate materials. However, the latter are not benign per se, as the case of diatomite highlights. Considering the high, environmentally irrelevant concentrations needed to induce adverse effects, C. riparius is insensitive to exposures to PVC-MP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Scherer
- Federal Institute of Hydrology, Department Biochemistry and Ecotoxicology, Am Mainzer Tor 1, Koblenz 56002, Germany; Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Department Aquatic Ecotoxicology, Max-von-Laue-Straße 13, Frankfurt am Main 60323, Germany.
| | - Raoul Wolf
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Section for Ecotoxicology and Risk Assessment, Gaustadalléen 21, Oslo 0349, Norway
| | - Johannes Völker
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Department of Biology, Høgskoleringen 5, Realfagbygget, Trondheim 7491, Norway
| | - Friederike Stock
- Federal Institute of Hydrology, Department Biochemistry and Ecotoxicology, Am Mainzer Tor 1, Koblenz 56002, Germany
| | - Nicole Brennhold
- Federal Institute of Hydrology, Department Biochemistry and Ecotoxicology, Am Mainzer Tor 1, Koblenz 56002, Germany
| | - Georg Reifferscheid
- Federal Institute of Hydrology, Department Biochemistry and Ecotoxicology, Am Mainzer Tor 1, Koblenz 56002, Germany
| | - Martin Wagner
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Department of Biology, Høgskoleringen 5, Realfagbygget, Trondheim 7491, Norway
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Fred-Ahmadu OH, Bhagwat G, Oluyoye I, Benson NU, Ayejuyo OO, Palanisami T. Interaction of chemical contaminants with microplastics: Principles and perspectives. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 706:135978. [PMID: 31864138 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 184] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2019] [Revised: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Scientific evidences abound of the occurrence of plastic pollution, from mega- to nano-sized plastics, in virtually all matrixes of the environment. Apart from the direct effects of plastics and microplastics pollution such as entanglement, inflammation of cells and gut blockage due to ingestion, plastics are also able to act as vectors of various chemical contaminants in the aquatic environment. This paper provides a review of the association of plastic additives with environmental microplastics, how the structure and composition of polymers influence sorption capacities and highlights some of the models that have been employed to interpret experimental data from recent sorption studies. The factors that influence the sorption of chemical contaminants such as the degree of crystallinity, surface weathering, and chemical properties of contaminants. and the implications of chemical sorption by plastics for the marine food web and human health are also discussed. It was however observed that most studies relied on pristine or artificially aged plastics rather than field plastic samples for studies on chemical sorption by plastics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omowunmi H Fred-Ahmadu
- Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Unit, Department of Chemistry, Covenant University, Km 10 Idiroko Road, Ota, Nigeria
| | - Geetika Bhagwat
- Global Innovative Centre for Advanced Nanomaterials, School of Engineering, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - Idowu Oluyoye
- Global Innovative Centre for Advanced Nanomaterials, School of Engineering, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
| | - Nsikak U Benson
- Analytical and Environmental Chemistry Unit, Department of Chemistry, Covenant University, Km 10 Idiroko Road, Ota, Nigeria.
| | | | - Thavamani Palanisami
- Global Innovative Centre for Advanced Nanomaterials, School of Engineering, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
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Li Z, Hu X, Qin L, Yin D. Evaluating the effect of different modified microplastics on the availability of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 170:115290. [PMID: 31770647 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2019.115290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) discharged into the natural environment undergo various wearthering pathways, such as mechanical abrasion and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. However, little is known about the effects of such aged MPs on the bioavailability of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) in aqueous environments. To simulate the natural oxidation and UV-ageing process of MPs, three kinds of modified polyethylene MPs were obtained by plastic etching processes common in industry and UV irradiation, namely, etched MPs (EMPs), UV-aged MPs (UV-MPs), and etched MPs followed by UV ageing (UV-EMPs). The modified MPs showed a higher content of surface oxygen-containing groups than the pristine MPs, and the specific surface area and pore volume increased significantly after etching and ultraviolet ageing, especially for the EMPs (1.67 m2 g-1 and 0.0049 cm³ g-1) and UV-EMPs (2.37 m2 g-1 and 0.0089 cm³ g-1). The effect of modified MPs on the availability of 10 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, logKow 4.18-6.20) was evaluated by negligible-depletion solid-phase microextraction (nd-SPME). The free concentrations (Cfree) of most PAHs (except for less hydrophobic PAHs, logKow 4.18 and 4.56) decreased with an increasing concentration of MPs. The logarithms of the sorption coefficients of PAHs with various MPs (logKMPs, logKUV-MPs, logKEMPs and logKUV-EMPs) were linearly correlated with logKow, suggesting that the sorption is hydrophobicity dependent. Compared with the results for pristine MPs (logKMP 3.80-4.95), UV ageing only slightly enhanced the sorption of PAHs by MPs (logKUV-MPs 3.71-4.98), whereas the plastic etching processes significantly enhanced sorption (logKEMPs 3.85-5.18 and logKUV-EMPs 3.90-5.28). The sorption of PAHs to MPs is mainly based on partitioning; however, a mechanism of adsorption also likely takes place in EMPs and UV-EMPs due to hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions. Desorption study indicated that PAH desorption from MPs are dominated by film diffusion. However, intraparticle diffusion also takes great part for the EMPs. These results suggest that modification of MPs in the natural environment will change the availability of HOCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiwei Li
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Xialin Hu
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, China.
| | - Lanxue Qin
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Daqiang Yin
- Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, China
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50
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Pozo K, Urbina W, Gómez V, Torres M, Nuñez D, Přibylová P, Audy O, Clarke B, Arias A, Tombesi N, Guida Y, Klánová J. Persistent organic pollutants sorbed in plastic resin pellet - "Nurdles" from coastal areas of Central Chile. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2020; 151:110786. [PMID: 32056585 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Plastic resin pellets were collected from coastal areas (n = 7) of central Chile. Pellets were analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy for polymer identification and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) determination. Screened compounds were PBDEs (n = 10), PCBs (n = 7), and OCPs (n = 13). Pellets were only found at Lenga Beach (San Vicente Bay), which is likely influenced by the presence of industrial activities in the surrounding coastal area. The diameter of the pellets was 4.0 ± 0.6 cm (n = 370), the color varied from white (32%) to yellowing (68%), and the most prevalent polymer identified was high-density polyethylene (99%). POPs concentrations (ng/g-pellet) ranged from 10 to 133 for Ʃ10PBDEs, from 3 to 60 for Ʃ7PCBs and between 0.1 and 7 for DDTs. Levels of POPs are consistent with other investigations around the world and highlight the sorbtion capacity of plastics resin pellets, and consequently transport of POPs into coastal environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karla Pozo
- RECETOX (Research center for toxic compounds in the environment), Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; Facultad de Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad San Sebastián, Lientur, 1457 Concepción, Chile.
| | - Williams Urbina
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad San Sebastián, Lientur, 1457 Concepción, Chile
| | - Victoria Gómez
- Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, University of Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Mariett Torres
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad San Sebastián, Lientur, 1457 Concepción, Chile
| | - Dariela Nuñez
- Centro de Investigación de Polímeros Avanzados, Avenida Collao 1202, Edificio Laboratorio CIPA, Concepción, Chile
| | - Petra Přibylová
- RECETOX (Research center for toxic compounds in the environment), Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Audy
- RECETOX (Research center for toxic compounds in the environment), Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Bradley Clarke
- School of Chemistry, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Andrés Arias
- Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (IADO), Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS)-CONICET, C.C. No804, Bahía Blanca, Argentina; Química Ambiental, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Av. Alem 1253, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Norma Tombesi
- Química Ambiental, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Av. Alem 1253, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Yago Guida
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Bloco G, Sl. 061, CEP: 21941-902 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jana Klánová
- RECETOX (Research center for toxic compounds in the environment), Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
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