Association of metals with plastic production pellets in the marine environment

Ashton, Karen; Holmes, Luke; Turner, Andrew

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.07.014

Cited by 719 publications

(277 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In addition, Ashton et al [81] also found concentrations of metals in composite plastic pellet samples retrieved from the high tide line along a stretch of coastline in Southwest England. To investigate whether the metals were in fact associated with nonremovable fine organic matter associated with the pellet samples, new polypropylene pellets were suspended in a harbour for 8 weeks and were found to accumulate metals from the surrounding seawater, from low of 0.25 μg g À1 for Zn to a high of 17.98 μg g À1 for Fe [81]. So far, little data is available on freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems, which will have a pollutant makeup very different to that found in marine environments.…”

Section: Interactions With Other Compoundsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…It is well known that MPs in marine environments concentrate persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as DDT, PCBs, and dioxins [78][79][80]. In addition, Ashton et al [81] also found concentrations of metals in composite plastic pellet samples retrieved from the high tide line along a stretch of coastline in Southwest England. To investigate whether the metals were in fact associated with nonremovable fine organic matter associated with the pellet samples, new polypropylene pellets were suspended in a harbour for 8 weeks and were found to accumulate metals from the surrounding seawater, from low of 0.25 μg g À1 for Zn to a high of 17.98 μg g À1 for Fe [81].…”

Section: Interactions With Other Compoundsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microplastics Are Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Freshwater Environments: An Overview

Lambert

Wagner

2017

The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry

227

137

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In recent years, interest in the environmental occurrence and effects of microplastics (MPs) has shifted towards our inland waters, and in this chapter we provide an overview of the issues that may be of concern for freshwater environments. The term 'contaminant of emerging concern' does not only apply to chemical pollutants but to MPs as well because it has been detected ubiquitously in freshwater systems. The environmental release of MPs will occur from a wide variety of sources, including emissions from wastewater treatment plants and from the degradation of larger plastic debris items. Due to the chemical makeup of plastic materials, receiving environments are potentially exposed to a mixture of microand nano-sized particles, leached additives, and subsequent degradation products, which will become bioavailable for a range of biota. The ingestion of MPs by aquatic organisms has been demonstrated, but the long-term effects of continuous exposures are less well understood. Technological developments and changes in demographics will influence the types of MPs and environmental concentrations in the future, and it will be important to develop approaches to mitigate the input of synthetic polymers to freshwater ecosystems.

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Section: Interactions With Other Compoundsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Interactions With Other Compoundsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics Are Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Freshwater Environments: An Overview

Lambert

Wagner

2017

The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry

227

137

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Plastics have even been shown to act as a conduit for invasive species (Gregory, 2009), as well as persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals (Ashton, Holmes and Turner, 2010). Research further indicates that plastics are already ubiquitous in our waterways, and promise to become more so in the coming decades.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers and benefits to desired behaviors for single use plastic items in northeast Ohio's Lake Erie basin

Bartolotta

Hardy

2018

Marine Pollution Bulletin

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“…While MPs have not been described in the Nile, other pollutants (i.e., trace metals Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Pb, and Zn) were found in the abiotic compartments and the tissues of resident fish populations [18]. It is worth noting that MPs have been shown to adsorb trace metals in the environment [69,70], and within the laboratory, polyethylene MPs were shown to alter the bioavailability and uptake of Ag to freshwater zebra fish [71]. The River Congo similarly flows through densely populated cities, notably Kinshasa (14.12 million inhabitants) and Brazzaville (2.21 million), and these waters would also be suspected of having MPs present.…”

Section: Future Research Needsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Microplastics in Inland African Waters: Presence, Sources, and Fate

Khan

Mayoma

Biginagwa

et al. 2017

The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry

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As the birthplace of our species, the African continent holds a unique place in human history. Upon entering a new epoch, the Anthropocene defined by human-driven influences on earth systems, and with the recognition that plastic pollution is one of the hallmarks of this new age, remarkably little is known about the presence, sources, and fate of plastics (and microplastics (MPs)) within African waters. Research in marine regions, most notably around the coast of South Africa, describes the occurrence of MPs in seabirds and fish species. More recently environmental sampling studies in the same area have quantified plastics in both the water column and sediments. However, despite Africa containing some of the largest and deepest of the world's freshwater lakes, including Lakes Victoria and Tanganyika as part of the African Great Lakes system, and notable freshwater rivers, such as the River Congo and the Nile, the extent of MPs within the inland waters remains largely unreported. In the only study to date to describe MP pollution in the African Great Lakes, a variety of polymers, including polyethylene, polypropylene, and silicone rubber, were recovered from the gastrointestinal tracts of Nile perch (Lates niloticus) and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fished from Lake Victoria. The likely sources of these plastics were considered to be human activities linked to fishing and tourism, and urban waste. In this chapter we discuss the need for research focus on MPs in Africa and how what has been described in the coastal regions and other freshwater environments can be applied to inland African waters. The aforementioned study in Lake Victoria is used to exemplify how small-scale investigations can provide early indications of MP pollution. Lastly we discuss the current challenges and future needs of MP research in African freshwaters.

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Association of metals with plastic production pellets in the marine environment

Cited by 719 publications

References 22 publications

Microplastics Are Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Freshwater Environments: An Overview

Microplastics Are Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Freshwater Environments: An Overview

Barriers and benefits to desired behaviors for single use plastic items in northeast Ohio's Lake Erie basin

Microplastics in Inland African Waters: Presence, Sources, and Fate

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