Microplastic particles in sediments of Lagoon of Venice, Italy: First observations on occurrence, spatial patterns and identification

Vianello, Alvise; Boldrin, A.; Guerriero, P.; Moschino, V.; Rella, R.; Sturaro, A.; Ros, L. Da

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2013.03.022

Cited by 900 publications

(430 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…5,9,[17][18][19]21,22 Especially zones of low hydrodynamic action or dense macroalgal cover can reduce the water turbulence and thereby enhance deposition and sedimentation of particulate matter. 15,56 Additionally, Fucus canopies create a complex surface where plastic particles and fibers could stick to or get trapped. Accordingly, it is very likely that microplastics are closely associated with the natural food of I. emarginata and, thus, can be ingested by the isopods.…”

Section: ■ Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5,15−17 The most abundant polymer types are polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene (styrofoam). 15 The majority of microplastics in pelagic and benthic habitats is within the size range of 30 to 1,000 μm, 15,18,19 but even smaller particles were detected. 5,20−22 Reported concentrations of microplastics in subtidal marine habitats range from 3.7 particles·kg −1 to 124 particles·L −1 of sediment.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Fate of Microplastics in the Marine Isopod Idotea emarginata

Hämer

Gutow

Köhler

et al. 2014

Environ. Sci. Technol.

262

105

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Plastic pollution is an emerging global threat for marine wildlife. Many species of birds, reptiles, and fishes are directly impaired by plastics as they can get entangled in ropes and drown or they can ingest plastic fragments which, in turn, may clog their stomachs and guts. Microplastics of less than 1 mm can be ingested by small invertebrates, but their fate in the digestive organs and their effects on the animals are yet not well understood. We embedded fluorescent microplastics in artificial agarose-based food and offered the food to marine isopods, Idotea emarginata. The isopods did not distinguish between food with and food without microplastics. Upon ingestion, the microplastics were present in the stomach and in the gut but not in the tubules of the midgut gland which is the principal organ of enzyme-secretion and nutrient resorption. The feces contained the same concentration of microplastics as the food which indicates that no accumulation of microplastics happens during the gut passage. Long-term bioassays of 6 weeks showed no distinct effects of continuous microplastic consumption on mortality, growth, and intermolt duration. I. emarginata are able to prevent intrusion of particles even smaller than 1 μm into the midgut gland which is facilitated by the complex structure of the stomach including a fine filter system. It separates the midgut gland tubules from the stomach and allows only the passage of fluids and chyme. Our results indicate that microplastics, as administered in the experiments, do not clog the digestive organs of isopods and do not have adverse effects on their life history parameters.

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Section: ■ Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Fate of Microplastics in the Marine Isopod Idotea emarginata

Hämer

Gutow

Köhler

et al. 2014

Environ. Sci. Technol.

262

105

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The sample was sonicated for 5 min, incubated 24 h at 30 • C and finally filtered through a 20 µm stainless steel sieve. The residue was transferred to a 50 ml beaker and incubated with KOH 10% 12 h at 50 • C. The alkali degraded sample was then diluted 1:1 with MilliQ water and filtered through a 47 mm Anodisc filter with pore size of 0.2 µm (Whatman, Germany) and submitted to µFTIR according to Vianello et al (2013). Four individuals collected from each testing condition involving PVC beads were analyzed.…”

Section: Chemical Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Particle size distribution was determined using a LS 13-320 laser particle-sizing instrument (Beckmann Coulter, Milan, Italy) and the total content of polyaromatic hydrocarbons assessed according to the methods of Durou et al (2007). Furthermore, microplastic content and characterization, based on a density separation method according to Nuelle et al (2014) and a detection method according to Vianello et al (2013), was carried out. A negligible (2.0 ± 0.9 particles/kg) amount of polyethylene fragments in a range of 30-40 µm were detected ([2]).…”

Section: Sediment Collection and Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Effects of Ingested PVC Micro Particles With and Without Adsorbed Benzo(a)pyrene vs. Spiked Sediments on the Cellular and Sub Cellular Processes of the Benthic Organism Hediste diversicolor

Gomiero

Strafella

Pellini³

et al. 2018

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Plastic micro litter represents an emerging contaminant as well as a multiple stress agent in aquatic environments. Microplastics are found even in the remote areas of the world. Together with their occurrence in all environmental compartments, there is a growing concern about their potential to adsorb pollutants co-occurring in the environment. At present, little is known about this source of exposure for aquatic organisms in the benthic environment. Exposure conditions were set up to mimick the contribution of microplastics through different exposure routes. Potential biological effects resulting from these exposures were investigated in the model organism Hediste diversicolor, an annelid worm. Cellular effects including alterations of immunological responses, lysosomal compartment changes, mitochondrial activity, oxyradical production and onset of genotoxicity were assessed in coelomocytes while temporary and permanent effects of oxidative stress were also performed at tissue level. In this study polyvinylchloride (PVC) microparticles were shown to adsorb benzo(a)pyrene with a time and dose-dependent relationship. The elevated bioavailability of the model pollutant after ingestion induced a clear pattern of biological responses. Toxicity mainly targeted impairment of cellular functioning and genotoxicity in H. diversicolor coelomocytes, while permanent effects of oxidative stress were observed at tissue level. Coelomocytes responded fast and with a higher degree of sensitivity to the adverse stimuli. The results showed that microplastic particles in sediments may play a significant role as vectors for organic pollutants. The highest adverse responses were observed in those H. diversicolor exposed to sediments spiked with PVC particles pre-incubated with B[a]P when compared against sediments spiked with B[a]P and plastic microparticles separately.

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“…Meanwhile, the accumulation of microplastics in the oceans has been recognised by scientists and authorities worldwide and previous studies have demonstrated the ubiquitous presence of microplastics in the marine environment [14,15,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] and the uptake of microplastics by various marine biota. [27][28][29][30][31] As a consequence of the uptake physical effects such as potentially fatal injuries (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Focal plane array detector-based micro-Fourier-transform infrared imaging for the analysis of microplastics in environmental samples

et al. 2015

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Environmental context. Microplastics are of increasing environmental concern following reports that they occur worldwide from the arctic to the deep sea. However, a reliable methodology that facilitates an automated measurement of abundance and identity of microplastics is still lacking. We present an analytical protocol that applies focal plane array detector-based infrared imaging of microplastics enriched on membrane filters applicable to investigations of microplastic pollution of the environment.Abstract. The pollution of the environment with microplastics (plastic pieces ,5 mm) is a problem of increasing concern. However, although this has been generally recognised by scientists and authorities, the analysis of microplastics is often done by visual inspection alone with potentially high error rates, especially for smaller particles. Methods that allow for a fast and reliable analysis of microplastics enriched on filters are lacking. Our study is the first to fill this gap by using focal plane array detector-based micro-Fourier-transform infrared imaging for analysis of microplastics from environmental samples. As a result of our iteratively optimised analytical approach (concerning filter material, measuring mode, measurement parameters and identification protocol), we were able to successfully measure the whole surface (>10-mm diameter) of filters with microplastics from marine plankton and sediment samples. The measurement with a high lateral resolution allowed for the detection of particles down to a size of 20 mm in only a fractional part of time needed for chemical mapping. The integration of three band regions facilitated the pre-selection of potential microplastics of the ten most important polymers. Subsequent to the imaging the review of the infrared spectra of the pre-selected potential microplastics was necessary for a verification of plastic polymer origin. The approach we present here is highly suitable to be implemented as a standard procedure for the analysis of small microplastics from environmental samples. However, a further automatisation with respect to measurement and subsequent particle identification would facilitate the even faster and fully automated analysis of microplastic samples.

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Microplastic particles in sediments of Lagoon of Venice, Italy: First observations on occurrence, spatial patterns and identification

Cited by 900 publications

References 27 publications

Fate of Microplastics in the Marine Isopod Idotea emarginata

Fate of Microplastics in the Marine Isopod Idotea emarginata

Comparative Effects of Ingested PVC Micro Particles With and Without Adsorbed Benzo(a)pyrene vs. Spiked Sediments on the Cellular and Sub Cellular Processes of the Benthic Organism Hediste diversicolor

Focal plane array detector-based micro-Fourier-transform infrared imaging for the analysis of microplastics in environmental samples

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