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Jones CM, Hughes GL, Coleman S, Fellows R, Quilliam RS. A perspective on the impacts of microplastics on mosquito biology and their vectorial capacity. MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY 2024; 38:138-147. [PMID: 38469658 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12710] [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: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Microplastics (plastic particles <5 mm) permeate aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and constitute a hazard to animal life. Although much research has been conducted on the effects of microplastics on marine and benthic organisms, less consideration has been given to insects, especially those adapted to urban environments. Here, we provide a perspective on the potential consequences of exposure to microplastics within typical larval habitat on mosquito biology. Mosquitoes represent an ideal organism in which to explore the biological effects of microplastics on terrestrial insects, not least because of their importance as an infectious disease vector. Drawing on evidence from other organisms and knowledge of the mosquito life cycle, we summarise some of the more plausible impacts of microplastics including physiological, ecotoxicological and immunological responses. We conclude that although there remains little experimental evidence demonstrating any adverse effect on mosquito biology or pathogen transmission, significant knowledge gaps remain, and there is now a need to quantify the effects that microplastic pollution could have on such an important disease vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher M Jones
- Department of Vector Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Grant L Hughes
- Departments of Vector Biology and Tropical Disease Biology, Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Sylvester Coleman
- Department of Vector Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Rosie Fellows
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Richard S Quilliam
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
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Yao J, Li J, Qi J, Wan M, Tang L, Han H, Tian K, Liu S. Distribution patterns and environmental risk assessments of microplastics in the lake waters and sediments from eight typical wetland parks in Changsha city, China. Front Public Health 2024; 12:1365906. [PMID: 38784569 PMCID: PMC11112001 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1365906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The quality of water in urban parks is closely related to people's daily lives, but the pollution caused by microplastics in park water and sediments has not been comprehensively studied. Therefore, eight typical parks in the urban area of Changsha, China, were selected, and Raman spectroscopy was used to explore the spatial distributions and compositions of the microplastics in the water and sediments, analyze their influencing factors, and evaluate their environmental risks. The results showed that the abundances of surface water microplastics in all parks ranged from 150 to 525 n L-1, and the abundances of sediment microplastics ranged from 120 to 585 n kg-1. The microplastics in the surface water included polyethylene terephthalate (PET), chlorinated polyethylene (CPE), and fluororubber (FLU), while those in the sediments included polyvinyl chloride (PVC), wp-acrylate copolymer (ACR), and CPE. Regression analyses revealed significant positive correlations between human activities and the abundances of microplastics in the parks. Among them, the correlations of population, industrial discharge and domestic wastewater discharge with the abundance of microplastics in park water were the strongest. However, the correlations of car flow and tourists with the abundance of microplastics in park water were the weakest. Based on the potential ecological risk indices (PERI) classification assessment method, the levels of microplastics in the waters and sediments of the eight parks were all within the II-level risk zone (53-8,549), among which the risk indices for Meixi Lake and Yudai Lake were within the IV risk zone (1,365-8,549), which may have been caused by the high population density near the park. This study provides new insights into the characteristics of microplastics in urban park water and sediment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyi Yao
- The Department of Environmental Design, School of Architecture and Art, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jiang Li
- The Department of Environmental Design, School of Architecture and Art, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jialing Qi
- The Department of Environmental Design, School of Architecture and Art, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Mengrui Wan
- The Department of Environmental Design, School of Architecture and Art, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Liling Tang
- The Department of Environmental Design, School of Architecture and Art, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Hui Han
- Henan Field Observation and Research Station of Headwork Wetland Ecosystem of the Central Route of South-to-North Water Diversion Project, School of Life Sciences and Agricultural Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang, Henan, China
| | - Kai Tian
- Henan Field Observation and Research Station of Headwork Wetland Ecosystem of the Central Route of South-to-North Water Diversion Project, School of Life Sciences and Agricultural Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang, Henan, China
| | - Shaobo Liu
- The Department of Environmental Design, School of Architecture and Art, Central South University, Changsha, China
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Song X, Chen T, Chen Z, Du L, Qiu X, Zhang Y, Li Y, Zhu Y, Tan Z, Mo Y, Feng X. Micro(nano)plastics in human urine: A surprising contrast between Chongqing's urban and rural regions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 917:170455. [PMID: 38286288 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170455] [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: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Microplastics (100 nm-5 mm) and nanoplastics (<100 nm) collectively referred to as micro(nano)plastics (MNPs), which are emerging pollutants all over the world. Environmental differences affect its distribution. The content of MNPs differs between urban and rural environments, according to previous studies. To understand the actual situation of human exposure to MNPs in various environments, this study collected 12 urine samples from volunteers in urban and rural regions of Chongqing and used pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and laser direct infrared spectroscopy (LDIR) to detect and analyze MNPs in urine. With an average abundance of 1.50 (2.31) mg/kg, MNPs were found in 9 samples by Py-GC/MS. Polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyamide 66 (PA66), three different types of MNPs were found, with PE content being the highest among them. By using LDIR, MNPs were found in 7 samples, with an average abundance of 15.17 (23.13) particles/kg. Five different types of MNPs were found, with acrylates (ACR) being the main type, followed by polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyurethane (PU), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The findings demonstrated that urban region had much greater levels and more types of MNPs in human urine than rural. Additionally, regular contact with plastic toys and the use of personal care products are linked to the presence of MNPs. The influence of environmental factors on the actual exposure of the human body to MNPs was preliminary explored in this study, and two different methods were used for the first time to simultaneously detect and analyze MNPs in human urine. This allowed for the feasibility of comprehensively and effectively quantitatively analyzing the actual exposure of the human body to MNPs, and also provided the theoretical foundation for further research on the harm of MNPs to human health in different environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Song
- Center of Reproductive Medicine, Chengdu BOE Hospital, Chengdu 610219, China
| | - Tian Chen
- Health Management Center, Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital, Chongqing 404010, China
| | - Zongwen Chen
- Department of Comprehensive Pediatric Internal Medicine, Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital, Chongqing 404010, China
| | - Lixia Du
- Department of Gastroenterology, Chengdu BOE Hospital, Chengdu 610219, China
| | - Xihong Qiu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chengdu BOE Hospital, Chengdu 610219, China
| | - Yuxin Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chengdu BOE Hospital, Chengdu 610219, China
| | - Yan Li
- Health Management Center, Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital, Chongqing 404010, China
| | - Yu Zhu
- Department of Radiology, Yunnan Cancer Hospital (the Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University), Kunming 650118, China
| | - Zhongyou Tan
- Department of Comprehensive Pediatric Internal Medicine, Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital, Chongqing 404010, China
| | - Yunbo Mo
- Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital, Chongqing 404010, China
| | - Xiaoqian Feng
- Department of Comprehensive Pediatric Internal Medicine, Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital, Chongqing 404010, China.
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