1
|
Curren E, Yew Leong SC. Spatiotemporal characterisation of microplastics in the coastal regions of Singapore. Heliyon 2023; 9:e12961. [PMID: 36711275 PMCID: PMC9876982 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e12961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
In the 21st century, plastic production continues to increase at an unprecedented rate, leading to the global issue of plastic pollution. In marine environments, a significant fraction of plastic litter are microplastics, which have a wide range of effects in marine ecosystems. Here, we examine the spatiotemporal distribution of microplastics along the Johor and Singapore Straits, at surface and at depth. Generally, more microplastics were recorded from the surface waters across both Straits. Fragments were the dominant microplastic type (70%), followed by film (25%) and fiber (5%). A total of seven colours of microplastics were identified, with clear microplastics as the most abundant (64.9%), followed by black (25.1%) and blue (5.5%). Microplastics under 500 μm in size accounted for 98.9%, followed by particles 500-1000 μm (1%) and 1-5 mm (0.1%). During the monsoon season, the abundance of microplastics across various sites were observed to be > 1.1 times when compared to the inter-monsoon period. Rainfall was a closely related to the increased microplastic abundance across various sites in the Singapore Strait. This suggests that weather variations during climate change can play critical roles in modulating microplastic availability. Beach sediments facing the Singapore Strait recorded an abundance of 13.1 particles/kg, with polypropylene fragments, polyethylene pellets and thermoplastic polyester foam identified via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Hence, it is crucial to profile the spatiotemporal variation of microplastic abundance in both the surface and in the water column to gain a better understanding of the threat caused by microplastic pollution in the coastal regions of Singapore.
Collapse
|
2
|
Aung T, Batish I, Ovissipour R. Prevalence of Microplastics in the Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica in the Chesapeake Bay: The Impact of Different Digestion Methods on Microplastic Properties. TOXICS 2022; 10:toxics10010029. [PMID: 35051071 PMCID: PMC8777933 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10010029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 12/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the microplastic prevalence in eastern oysters (C. virginica) in three sites in the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia and optimize the digestion methods. The digestion results illustrate that the lowest recovery rate and digestion recovery were related to enzymatic, enzymatic + hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and HCl 5% treatments, while the highest digestion recovery and recovery rate were observed in H2O2 and basic (KOH) treatments. Nitric acid digestion resulted in satisfying digestion recovery (100%), while no blue polyethylene microplastics were observed due to the poor recovery rate. In addition, nitric acid altered the color, changed the Raman spectrum intensity, and melted polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). In order to determine the number of microplastics, 144 oysters with an approximately similar size and weight from three sites, including the James River, York River, and Eastern Shore, were evaluated. Fragments were the most abundant microplastics among the different microplastics, followed by fibers and beads, in the three sites. A significantly higher number of fragments were found in the James River, probably due to the greater amount of human activities. The number of microplastics per gram of oyster tissue was higher in the James River, with 7 MPs/g tissue, than in the York River and Eastern Shore, with 6.7 and 5.6 MPs/g tissue.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thet Aung
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (T.A.); (I.B.)
- FutureFoods Lab and Cellular Agriculture Initiative, Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Hampton, VA 23669, USA
| | - Inayat Batish
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (T.A.); (I.B.)
- FutureFoods Lab and Cellular Agriculture Initiative, Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Hampton, VA 23669, USA
| | - Reza Ovissipour
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (T.A.); (I.B.)
- FutureFoods Lab and Cellular Agriculture Initiative, Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Hampton, VA 23669, USA
- Center for Coastal Studies, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-757-727-4861
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Zhang Y, Peng Y, Peng C, Wang P, Lu Y, He X, Wang L. Comparison of Detection Methods of Microplastics in Landfill Mineralized Refuse and Selection of Degradation Degree Indexes. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:13802-13811. [PMID: 34586798 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c02772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
A landfill is an important sink of plastic waste and potential sources of microplastics (MPs) when mineralized refuse is reused. However, limitations are still present in quantifying MPs in mineralized refuse and assessing their degradation degree. In this study, laser direct infrared spectroscopy and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were used to identify MPs of mineralized refuse from a landfill. Although 25-113 items/g MPs were detected in particles subjected to flotation, 37.9-674 μg/g polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and 0.0716-1.01 μg/g polycarbonate (PC) were detected in the residual solids by LC-MS/MS, indicating a great amount of plastic polymers still presented in the residue. This suggests that the commonly used flotation-counting method will lead to significant underestimation of MP pollution in mineralized refuse, which might be due to the aging and aggregation process caused by the long-term landfill process. The ratio of "bisphenol A/PC" and "plasticizer/MPs" was found to be positively correlated and negatively correlated with the landfill age, respectively. Therefore, in addition to the spectral index such as the carbonyl index, new indexes based on the concentrations of polymers, free monomers, and plasticizers were proposed to characterize the degradation degree of MPs in a landfill.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria/Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Yawen Peng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria/Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Chu Peng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria/Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Ping Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria/Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Yuan Lu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria/Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Xiaosong He
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Simulation and Control of Groundwater Pollution, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
| | - Lei Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria/Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Choi D, Bang J, Kim T, Oh Y, Hwang Y, Hong J. In vitro chemical and physical toxicities of polystyrene microfragments in human-derived cells. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2020; 400:123308. [PMID: 32947711 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
With the increase in plastic production, a variety of toxicological studies on microplastics have been conducted as microplastics can be accumulated in the human body and cause unknown disease. However, previous studies have mainly assessed the toxicity of sphere-type microbeads, which may differ from randomly-shaped microplastics in a real environment. Here, we conducted in vitro toxicology analysis for randomly-shaped microplastics based on the hypotheses that (1) physical cytotoxicity is affected by nano-/micro-size roughness in polystyrene (PS) microfragments and (2) chemical toxicity is caused by chemical reagents from microplastics. We confirmed that the PS microfragments increased the acute inflammation of immune cells 20 times than control, the production of reactive oxygen species, and cell death of fibroblasts and cancer cells by releasing chemical reagents. In addition, when the PS microfragments were in direct contact with fibroblasts and red blood cells, the physical stress caused by them resulted in lactose dehydrogenase and hemoglobin release, respectively, due to cell membrane damage and hemolysis. This phenomenon was amplified when the concentration and roughness of the microfragments increased. Moreover, we quantitatively analyzed roughness differences between microplastics, which revealed a strong relationship between the physical damage of cells and the roughness of microplastics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daheui Choi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Junah Bang
- Department of Statistics, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 03132, Republic of Korea
| | - Taeho Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoogyeong Oh
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Youngdeok Hwang
- Paul H. Chook Department of Information Systems and Statistics, Baruch College CUNY, New York, NY, United States.
| | - Jinkee Hong
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Afrin S, Uddin MK, Rahman MM. Microplastics contamination in the soil from Urban Landfill site, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Heliyon 2020; 6:e05572. [PMID: 33294704 PMCID: PMC7701196 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Microplastics (MP) pollution has become a matter of global concern because of its several deleterious effects on environmental health, especially on the terrestrial environment. The evidence of MP contamination in terrestrial environment is less explored compared to aquatic bodies. However, in Bangladesh despite having high possibility of MP contamination, there is lacking of available research-based evidence. Urban areas soil is subjected to act as a major environmental reservoir for MPs. Thus, this study was carried out to investigate the presence of MP contamination in constructed landfill sites near Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Ten unmixed soil samples were collected from the Aminbazar Sanitary landfill sites, from that thirty replicated samples were investigated via Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis and Stereomicroscope. The range of physicochemical parameters were found in the soil samples as follows: moisture content; 15.84%-56.54%; soil pH; 5.76-6.02, electric conductivity; 0.1 μs/cm - 2.43 μs/cm, alkalinity; 6.7 ± 1.528-14.33 ± 0.577, TOC; 0.18% ± 0.02-1.09 ± 0.03. Among the ten samples, 3 samples were identified to have the presence of MP in the form of Low density polyethylene (LDPE), High density polyethylene (HDPE), and Cellulose acetate (CA) respectively. The detection limit ranged from 1 - 2000 μm. Hence, the results show that the procurement and discharge of MPs in the landfills is an overlong process. The results of this study provide an initial evidence and affirm that landfill can be a potential source of MPs. This study indicates that MPs are comparatively overlong outcome of human induced activities which can significantly cause changes in terrestrial ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sadia Afrin
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka 1342, Bangladesh
| | - Md Khabir Uddin
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka 1342, Bangladesh
| | - Md Mostafizur Rahman
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka 1342, Bangladesh
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Bandow N, Aitken MD, Geburtig A, Kalbe U, Piechotta C, Schoknecht U, Simon FG, Stephan I. Using Environmental Simulations to Test the Release of Hazardous Substances from Polymer-Based Products: Are Realism and Pragmatism Mutually Exclusive Objectives? MATERIALS 2020; 13:ma13122709. [PMID: 32549187 PMCID: PMC7345583 DOI: 10.3390/ma13122709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The potential release of hazardous substances from polymer-based products is currently in the focus of environmental policy. Environmental simulations are applied to expose such products to selected aging conditions and to investigate release processes. Commonly applied aging exposure types such as solar and UV radiation in combination with water contact, corrosive gases, and soil contact as well as expected general effects on polymers and additional ingredients of polymer-based products are described. The release of substances is based on mass-transfer processes to the material surfaces. Experimental approaches to investigate transport processes that are caused by water contact are presented. For tailoring the tests, relevant aging exposure types and release quantification methods must be combined appropriately. Several studies on the release of hazardous substances such as metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, flame retardants, antioxidants, and carbon nanotubes from polymers are summarized exemplarily. Differences between natural and artificial exposure tests are discussed and demonstrated for the release of flame retardants from several polymers and for biocides from paints. Requirements and limitations to apply results from short-term artificial environmental exposure tests to predict long-term environmental behavior of polymers are presented.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Bandow
- German Environment Agency, Corrensplatz 1, 14195 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Michael D. Aitken
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7431, USA;
| | - Anja Geburtig
- Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und-prüfung (BAM), 12200 Berlin, Germany; (A.G.); (C.P.); (U.S.); (F.-G.S.); (I.S.)
| | - Ute Kalbe
- Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und-prüfung (BAM), 12200 Berlin, Germany; (A.G.); (C.P.); (U.S.); (F.-G.S.); (I.S.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Christian Piechotta
- Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und-prüfung (BAM), 12200 Berlin, Germany; (A.G.); (C.P.); (U.S.); (F.-G.S.); (I.S.)
| | - Ute Schoknecht
- Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und-prüfung (BAM), 12200 Berlin, Germany; (A.G.); (C.P.); (U.S.); (F.-G.S.); (I.S.)
| | - Franz-Georg Simon
- Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und-prüfung (BAM), 12200 Berlin, Germany; (A.G.); (C.P.); (U.S.); (F.-G.S.); (I.S.)
| | - Ina Stephan
- Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und-prüfung (BAM), 12200 Berlin, Germany; (A.G.); (C.P.); (U.S.); (F.-G.S.); (I.S.)
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Teska P, Dayton R, Li X, Lamb J, Strader P. Damage to Common Healthcare Polymer Surfaces from UV Exposure. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020. [DOI: 10.1142/s1793984420500014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Healthcare-associated infections are a significant concern in acute care facilities across the US. Studies have shown the importance of a hygienic patient environment in reducing the risk of such infections. This has caused an increased interest in ultraviolet (UV-C) light disinfectant technology as an adjunct technology to provide additional pathogen reduction to environmental surfaces and patient care equipment (i.e., surfaces). It is also well known that UV-C light can cause premature degradation of materials, particularly certain plastic materials. However, there is little information in the literature regarding characterizing this degradation of plastics and other materials used for surfaces in healthcare. This study aims to evaluate multiple characterization techniques and propose a systematic approach to further understand early onset degradation of plastics due to UV-C exposure. Susceptibility and modes of degradation of multiple plastic materials were compared using the techniques evaluated. Ten grades of plastic materials were exposed to UV-C light in a manner consistent with standards given in the healthcare and furniture industry to achieve disinfection. These materials were characterized for visual appearance, chemical composition, surface roughness and hardness using light microscopy, spectrophotometry, contact angle analysis, infrared spectroscopy, profilometry and nanoindentation. All characterization methods were able to identify one or more specific degradation features from UV-C exposure covering different aspects of physicochemical properties of the surfaces. However, these methods showed different sensitivity and applicability to identify the onset of surface damage. Different types of surface materials showed different susceptibility and modes to degradation upon UV-C light exposure. UV-C disinfection can cause detectable damage to various surfaces in healthcare. A characterization approach consisting of physical and chemical characterizations is proposed in quantifying surface degradation of a material from UV-C exposure to address the complexity in modes of degradation and the varied sensitivity to UV-C from different materials. Methods with high sensitivity can be used to evaluate onset of damage or early stage damage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Teska
- Diversey, Inc., 1300 Altura Road, Suite 125, Fort Mill, SC 29708, USA
| | - Roderick Dayton
- Diversey, Inc., 1300 Altura Road, Suite 125, Fort Mill, SC 29708, USA
| | - Xiaobao Li
- Diversey, Inc., 901 Renaissance Boulevard, Sturtevant, WI 53177, USA
| | - Jason Lamb
- Diversey, Inc., 1300 Altura Road, Suite 125, Fort Mill, SC 29708, USA
| | - Phillip Strader
- Monteith Research Center, North Carolina State University, 2410 Campus Shore Drive, Room 246, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Rodrigues MO, Abrantes N, Gonçalves FJM, Nogueira H, Marques JC, Gonçalves AMM. Impacts of plastic products used in daily life on the environment and human health: What is known? ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 2019; 72:103239. [PMID: 31472322 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2019.103239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Revised: 06/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Plastics are indispensable and persistent materials used in daily life that can be fragmented into micro- or nanoplastics. They are long polymer chains mixed with additives that can be toxic when in contact with distinct species. The toxicity can result from polymer matrix, additives, degradation products and adsorbed contaminants. Notwithstanding, there is still an immense gap of information concerning the individual and mixed impacts of plastics. Hence, in this study, we characterize the most common plastic materials widely used in our daily life by its polymer type and compile the environmental and human health hazards of these polymers including the impacts of monomers, additives, degradation products and adsorbed contaminants based on literature review. In summary, polyvinyl chloride is the most toxic polymer type used daily (monomer and additives); additives are more toxic than monomers to wildlife and humans; and the most toxic additives are benzene, phthalates and lead stabilisers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M O Rodrigues
- Department of Biology & CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - N Abrantes
- Department of Environment and Planning & CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - F J M Gonçalves
- Department of Biology & CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - H Nogueira
- Department of Chemistry & CICECO, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - J C Marques
- MARE, Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - A M M Gonçalves
- Department of Biology & CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; MARE, Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Abstract
Purpose of Review We describe evidence regarding human exposure to microplastics via seafood and discuss potential health effects. Recent Findings Shellfish and other animals consumed whole pose particular concern for human exposure. If there is toxicity, it is likely dependent on dose, polymer type, size, surface chemistry, and hydrophobicity. Summary Human activity has led to microplastic contamination throughout the marine environment. As a result of widespread contamination, microplastics are ingested by many species of wildlife including fish and shellfish. Because microplastics are associated with chemicals from manufacturing and that sorb from the surrounding environment, there is concern regarding physical and chemical toxicity. Evidence regarding microplastic toxicity and epidemiology is emerging. We characterize current knowledge and highlight gaps. We also recommend mitigation and adaptation strategies targeting the life cycle of microplastics and recommend future research to assess impacts of microplastics on humans. Addressing these research gaps is a critical priority due to the nutritional importance of seafood consumption.
Collapse
|
10
|
Akbay İK, Güngör A, Özdemir T. Using fish scales ( Sardina pilchardus
) within ethylene-propylene-diene ter monomer rubber as bio-based filler. J Appl Polym Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/app.46698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ahmet Güngör
- Chemical Engineering Department; Mersin University; Yenişehir Mersin 33343 Turkey
| | - Tonguç Özdemir
- Chemical Engineering Department; Mersin University; Yenişehir Mersin 33343 Turkey
| |
Collapse
|