Mikroplastik in aquatischen Ökosystemen

Abstract

Die Verunreinigung von Salz‐ und Süßwassersystemen durch Kunststoffe und insbesondere Mikroplastik (MP) stellt ein weltweites ökologisches Problem dar. Zahlreiche Studien beschäftigten sich mit dem Vorkommen von MP, der Wechselwirkung mit Schadstoffen, der Aufnahme durch aquatische Organismen und den daraus resultierenden Wirkungen. Dieser Aufsatz behandelt die wichtigsten Fragen in Bezug auf MP in aquatischen Systemen. Der Schwerpunkt liegt hierbei auf: 1) der Beschreibung der analytischen Methoden zur Probenahme, Aufbereitung, Identifikation und Quantifizierung von MP sowie deren Anwendbarkeit, Zuverlässigkeit und den benötigten Verbesserungen; 2) einer Abschätzung des MP‐Vorkommens sowie möglicher Hindernisse bei der Vergleichbarkeit unterschiedlicher Studien; 3) einer Zusammenfassung der bekannten Literatur zur Aufnahme von MP durch Organismen. Anschließend werden vorhandene Wissenslücken aufgezeigt, mögliche Strategien zur Bewertung der Umweltgefährdung vorgeschlagen und Perspektiven zur Reduzierung von MP in aquatischen Ökosystemen diskutiert.

Nanoplastics Decrease the Toxicity of a Complex PAH Mixture but Impair Mitochondrial Energy Production in Developing Zebrafish

“…Despite their durability and long lifetime in the environment, weathering and degradation of plastics can cause the release of smaller particles, called microplastics (smaller than 5 mm) or nanoplastics (smaller than 1 μm) 2 . Microplastics have been found worldwide in all aquatic compartments and were found to be ingested by a variety of aquatic organisms, most of the time with adsorbed environmental contaminants 1,3 . However, we still lack information about the fate and levels of nanoplastics in the environment due to the size limit for their recovery in complex environmental samples and detection 2,3 .…”

“…Microplastics have been found worldwide in all aquatic compartments and were found to be ingested by a variety of aquatic organisms, most of the time with adsorbed environmental contaminants 1,3 . However, we still lack information about the fate and levels of nanoplastics in the environment due to the size limit for their recovery in complex environmental samples and detection 2,3 . This is of great concern as the abundance and the uptake of plastic particles by different trophic levels is expected to increase as the particle size decreases, suggesting that nanosized plastic particles might be of even higher concern in the environment 3 .…”

Multi-temporal surveys for microplastic particles enabled by a novel and fast application of SWIR imaging spectroscopy – Study of an urban watercourse traversing the city of Berlin, Germany

“…Smaller particles can be identified using FTIR (<500 -20 µm) and Raman microspectroscopy (50 -1 µm) (see fig. S1 in the supplementary material and Ivleva et al, 2017).…”

Magnetic Peroxidase Nanozyme Gears Up for Microplastic Removal and Deconstruction

“…Owing to the fact that the lack of methods for the sustainable conversion of plastics, a huge quantity of plastic is discarded as waste and dumped in the environment. Chemical, biological or mechanical processes shred plastic into smaller fragments called microplastics that pose a serious threat to health as they can act as carriers for microorganisms and other pollutants, and lead to disorders such as infertility, immune function dysfunction and other diseases, decreasing the quality of life [16] . Concerning the aforementioned challenges associated with handling plastic waste, researchers across the globe have come up with several modalities like the use of microbial consortia, enzymes and their engineered versions, catalytic pyrolysis and photocatalysis for the degradation of plastic or converting it to other important products [15] .…”