Are baleen whales exposed to microplastics threat? The case study of the Mediterranean Fin whale

Fossi, Maria Cristina; Panti, Cristina; Coppola, Daniele; Matteo, Massimo Di; Marsili, Letizia; Minutoli, Roberta; Guerranti, Cristiana

doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2012.05.080

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…At the same time, the presence of DEHP and MEHP may be due to the ingestion of plastic debris, since previous studies suggest that phthalates, among the principal constituents of plastics are not covalently bound to plastic and migrate from the products to the environment and can serve as a tracer of the intake of microplastics resulting from the ingestion of micro-litter. [10,11,24,25] Moreover, results presented in this work could be extended to the Atlantic bluefin tuna stock in the Mediterranean. Many studies were conducted in order to investigate the presence of subpopulations of Atlantic bluefin Tuna (e.g., chemical signatures in hard structures, genetic markers) within Mediterranean waters but results remained controversial; however, two subpopulations could be recognized from the previously cited literature: the Western Mediterranean and the Eastern Mediterranean.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…[9,13] Assuming that the contamination from phthalates may be due to the ingestion of plastic debris, demonstrated in recent studies on tuna, and considering that in this study levels of PFOS and MEHP resulted to be strongly correlated, further studies are to be conducted in order to establish if also no lipophilic compounds, such as PFASs, are carried by micro-debris, which have yet demonstrated to be a significant source of lipophilic chemical. [10,11,25,50] The estimated ingestion of the contaminants considered through tuna fillet consumption resulted very far from posing any risk for humans, confirming the great value of tuna fillet as food. On the other hand, concerning the health of the Atlantic bluefin tuna, particular attention should be paid to the accumulation of contaminants, because evidence of possible reproductive impairment due to the endocrine disrupting activity may be causes of concern for this species, listed in the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) RED list as "endangered species."…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…established, respectively, for PFOS, PFOA, and DEHP. [10,28,30] When the contaminant concentrations were under the respective LODs, daily intakes were calculated assuming that respective values would be equal to one-half of the LOD.…”

Section: Estimated Daily Ingestion (Edi)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[9][10][11][12][13] While it is well proved that the most important contribution to human PFASs intake is the diet, being fish and seafood the main contributors, [14,15] very limited data are available on phthalates concentration in foods and diet and in animals in general, [10,11,14] being inhalation and dermal contact the most important ways of human exposure. [15] Studies on bioaccumulation and effects of some chemical contaminants on the Atlantic bluefin tuna, have already been published in scientific literature; several chlorinated pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-dioxins and -furans and PBDE have been detected in this species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Phthalates and perfluorinated alkylated substances in Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) specimens from Mediterranean Sea (Sardinia, Italy): Levels and risks for human consumption

Guerranti¹,

Cau

Renzi³

et al. 2016

Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Atlantic blue fin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is a species of great importance for Mediterranean Sea area, from both ecological and commercial points of view. The scientific literature reports few data on the contamination of this fish by emerging organic compounds such as perfluorinated alkylated substances(PFASs) and phthalates, being the latter never been studied in tuna. This study therefore investigated the presence of the PFASs perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) and perfluoroctanoic acid (PFOA) and the phthalate di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), also monitored by its metabolite mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate(MEHP), to assess both the state of contamination of Atlantic bluefin tuna specimen and the risk due to the toxicity of these compounds for human consumption. While PFOA was never found, detectable levels of PFOS (0.4-1.88 ng/g), DEHP (9-14.62 ng/g) and MEHP (1.5-6.30 ng/g) were found. The results were elaborated relating the accumulation to the size and age of the individuals and showed a correlation between the levels of different pollutants investigated.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Estimated Daily Ingestion (Edi)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Phthalates and perfluorinated alkylated substances in Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) specimens from Mediterranean Sea (Sardinia, Italy): Levels and risks for human consumption

Guerranti¹,

Cau

Renzi³

et al. 2016

Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The contamination of a multitude of different marine organisms has been demonstrated by monitoring all over the world: for example in plankton [59], elasmobranchs [60,61], whales [1,62], teleosts [63,64], and molluscs [2,[65][66][67].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge about Microplastic in Mediterranean Tributary River Ecosystems: Lack of Data and Research Needs on Such a Crucial Marine Pollution Source

Guerranti

Perra

Martellini

et al. 2020

JMSE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Plastic debris occurring in freshwater environments, which can either come from the surrounding terrestrial areas or transported from upstream, has been identified as one of the main sources and routes of plastic pollution in marine systems. The ocean is the final destination of land- based microplastic sources, but compared to marine environments, the occurrence and effects of microplastics in freshwater ecosystems remain largely unknown. A thorough examination of scientific literature on abundance, distribution patterns, and characteristics of microplastics in freshwater environments in Mediterranean tributary rivers has shown a substantial lack of information and the need to apply adequate and uniform measurement methods.

show abstract

Potential Impact of Microplastics and Additives on the Health Status of Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta) Stranded Along the Central Adriatic Coast

Mascilongo

Berti

Bogdanović

et al. 2021

Water Air Soil Pollut

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Loggerhead sea turtle (C. caretta) is the official European bioindicator of marine litter in the Mediterranean Sea. In 2019, 8 sea turtles, out of 28 specimens loggerhead on the Adriatic coast of Molise, were subjected to necropsy. The intestinal contents were collected and the microplastics until 0.45 μm were extracted. Qualitative and quantitative assessments were performed by stereomicroscope observation and spectroscopic analyses (attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ATR-FTIR and Raman microspectroscopy, RMS). Moreover, the analytical quantification of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), para phthalic acid (PTA) and bisphenol A (BPA) in fat and liver tissues was performed by LC-MS/MS. Microparticles ranging from 0.45 μm to 1 mm were found in all turtles, for a total of 623, while plastic litter greater than 1 mm were found only in 4 specimens (ranging from 0.03 to 0.11 g). Nineteen different polymers and 10 pigments, including polyester (100% of animals), high-density polyethylene (50%) and polypropylene (50%) were identified. BPA, PTA and PET were detected in fat and liver tissues of all animals, while PC was found only in 50%. A major prevalence was registered in the abdominal fat tissue, although only PC compounds were significantly higher in abdominal tissue (p < 0.05), except for free PTA with liver tissue being the most contaminated (p < 0.05). Microplastics and additives surely impact the health status of turtles that showed gastrointestinal impairment and an important level of contamination in tissues. Graphical abstract

show abstract

Are baleen whales exposed to microplastics threat? The case study of the Mediterranean Fin whale

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Phthalates and perfluorinated alkylated substances in Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) specimens from Mediterranean Sea (Sardinia, Italy): Levels and risks for human consumption

Phthalates and perfluorinated alkylated substances in Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) specimens from Mediterranean Sea (Sardinia, Italy): Levels and risks for human consumption

Knowledge about Microplastic in Mediterranean Tributary River Ecosystems: Lack of Data and Research Needs on Such a Crucial Marine Pollution Source

Potential Impact of Microplastics and Additives on the Health Status of Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta) Stranded Along the Central Adriatic Coast

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About