Polyethylene microplastics do not increase bioaccumulation or toxicity of nonylphenol and 4-MBC to marine zooplankton

Abstract

Global production of synthetic polymers, led by polyethylene (PE), rose steadily in the last decades, and marine ecosystems are considered as a global sink. Although PE is not biodegradable, in coastal areas it fragments into microplastics (MP) readily taken up by biota, and have been postulated as vectors of hydrophobic chemicals to marine organisms. We have tested this hypothesis using two organisms representative of the marine plankton, the holoplanktonic copepod Acartia clausi, and the meroplanktonic larva of the Paracentrotus lividus sea-urchin, and two model chemicals with similar

Release of Microplastics from Discarded Surgical Masks and Their Adverse Impacts on the Marine Copepod Tigriopus japonicus

“…In addition, the reduced fecundity of copepods will also lead to the reduction of food resources for higher marine organisms, thereby threatening the balance of the marine ecosystem. Moreover, MPs released from SMs can also act as a vector of other pollutants (e.g., plasticizers) in the marine environment and might cause a cumulative effect on marine organisms. − All of these related ecotoxicological consequences will require more attention and further study of ecological risk assessments of the MPs released from SMs. The results of this study indicate an urgent need to minimize the risk of this emerging threat through better environmental management, policy, and law enforcement for ensuring proper disposal of SMs worldwide.…”

Uptake and Release Kinetics of Organic Contaminants Associated with Micro- and Nanoplastic Particles

“…For example, laboratory studies have shown that organic pollutants are released more rapidly from MPs in simulated gut media than in seawater . Whilst there is ongoing debate in the literature as to the relevance of so-called Trojan horse effects for aquatic organisms under environmentally relevant scenarios, , there is evidence for its importance for seabirds, , and indeed the kinetic features of drug release from polymer particles have long been actively exploited to optimize bioavailability in therapeutic context. , In environmental context, the toxicity of plastic leachates, extracted from the plastic material prior to exposure, has been demonstrated. , Disparate information has been reported from laboratory studies on the effects of contaminants in combination with MPs and nanoplastics (NPs): the body burden and/or toxicity of organic contaminants may be decreased, , increased, , or unaffected, , depending on the spatial and temporal conditions in the exposure medium and within the organism, , the extent to which the contaminants are released from the particles within the organism (which is generally not determined), and the measured toxicological endpoint. Clarification of the potential risks to aquatic organisms posed by polymer additives and other acquired co-contaminants requires a mechanistic approach that accounts for the dynamic nature of the involved processes including characterization of the uptake/release kinetics of contaminant–MP/NP interactions, concentration gradients in the polymer and aqueous phases, sorption affinity of the polymer backbone for each (class of) contaminant, particle size, local exposure conditions within organisms as well as the particle residence time and location within the organism (gut vs muscle tissue vs lipid-rich tissues, etc.…”

Micro and Nano-Plastics in the Environment: Research Priorities for the Near Future

“…Recent experimental work confirmed the theoretical hypotheses showing that the presence of MPs (polyethylene particles 150 μm diameter) does not increase the bioconcentration of lipophilic chemicals in fish (Danio rerio) or marine plankton (Beiras et al 2019;Schell et al 2020a). However, limited studies are available to evaluate possible different patterns in organisms with different physiological characteristics (e.g.…”