Interaction of mercury with beached plastics with special attention to zonation, degradation status and polymer type

Remediation of Contaminated Waters with Microplastics

“…The relationship between the MPs color and their ability to absorb metals is a topic rarely discussed in literature. Santos-Echeandía et al (2020) observed that black plastics (also brown and gray ones) have a higher sorption capacity for mercury. This may be a consequence of the composition of pigments used for their preparation or because these dark-colored polymers are more easily degraded by the absorption of infrared light.…”

COVID-19 discarded disposable gloves as a source and a vector of pollutants in the environment

“…It has been shown that plastics and plastic particles that occur in the environment may adsorb various inorganic and organic pollutants ( Zhang et al, 2020a ). After adsorption, plastic particles act as a contaminants carrier and for this reason pose an increased ecotoxicological risk ( Santos-Echeandía et al, 2020 ). Due to that, it is very important to extend the knowledge about the possibility of contaminants accumulation by DPGs in the context of their use and disposal.…”

Microplastics Pollution and Regulation

“…The extrinsic environmental factors that influence the potential impacts of MPs are associated with their "route" through the environment prior to being sampled (Leslie et al 2017) and are themselves influenced by a huge range of parameters including media characteristics (sea state, salinity, temperature), the type and surrounding concentration of pollutants and the presence of viruses and bacteria. MPs can sorb persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and metals from seawater in a matter of days, with concentrations on plastic surfaces reaching levels orders of magnitude greater than those in the surrounding water (Mato et al 2001;Andrady 2011;Santos-Echeandía et al 2020). If these sorbed chemicals desorb upon ingestion of MPs by organisms, this could provide a route for facilitating the transfer of POPs and metals to biota (Teuten et al 2009;Rivera-Hernández et al 2019).…”