Screening and Quantification of Micro(Nano)Plastics and Plastic Additives in the Seawater of Mar Menor Lagoon

Abstract

In this work a suspect-screening approach was employed to assess the polymers and plastic additives of micro(nano)plastics (NPL/MPLs) of size ranges from the nm range to 20 μm present in seawater from the top 5 cm of the Mar Menor lagoon during two sampling campaigns (summer and winter), as well of other potentially adsorbed compounds onto the plastic particles surfaces and suspended material. The identification of NPL/MPLs has been based on characteristic Kendrick Mass Defect analysis for each polymer type in mass spectra. The applied methodology allowed to identify NPLs/MPLs of polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE), polyisoprene (PI), polybutadiene (PBD), polypropylene (PP), polyamides (PA), polyvinylchloride (PVC), n-isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAm), and polydimethylsiloxanes. In addition, PS, PE, PI, PBD, PP, PA, and PVC were confirmed with standards, and the equivalent concentrations were quantified. The results of this study showed that most frequently found compounds were PP, PE, PA and PNIPAm, while the compound found at higher concentrations was by far PP reaching the 9,303 ± 366 ng/mL in one of the samples. A total number of 135 chemical compounds were tentatively identified, 74 of them plastic additives and compounds used in the polymers manufacture or coming from the polymer’s decomposition. In relation to plastic additives, the more frequently tentatively identified compounds were plasticizers such as phthalates group; stabilizers such as antioxidants (e.g., distearyl 3,3′-thiodipropionate, 2,5-di-tert-butylhydroquinone), and UV filters as benzotriazoles. Several flame retardants of the group of phosphates were as well detected. The other compounds tentatively identified in the samples were pharmaceuticals, pesticides, food additives, flavors and natural products that were attached onto the plastic particles and particulate matter from surrounding waters. In regards to the seasonal variation, during the summer a major number of compounds were tentatively detected, while de concentrations of polymers were slightly higher in winter. The spatial distribution showed higher contamination in the southern part of the coastal lagoon.

Organic Pollutants Associated with Plastic Debris in Marine Environment: A Systematic Review of Analytical Methods, Occurrence, and Characteristics

“…Regarding the frequency of sampling, the reviewed studies sampled only once (a single monitoring campaign), except for three studies that performed multiple monitoring campaigns (two [ 42 , 63 ] and five [ 56 ]), and one paper that collected samples from 1984 to 2008 (roughly every 5 years) and demonstrated that the concentrations of all detected persistent organic pollutants (POPs) decreased over the last two decades [ 31 ]. The results obtained from a single monitoring campaign could produce relatively large errors in the estimation of the actual pollution level in the MPs because the findings can be influenced by several variables, such as the sample size and sampling time.…”

“…A total of 60 original articles were read in full and then 20 papers were removed with reason, as reported in Table S1 . In total, 40 studies met the selection criteria and were included in this review [ 23 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 ] ( Figure 1 ).…”

High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry for Human Exposomics: Expanding Chemical Space Coverage

“…Quo Vadis? In environmental monitoring (e.g., air, water, soil), HRMS-based analyses have been rapidly expanding over the past decade. , Platforms and workflows are being repurposed to target new and more pertinent chemical classes, as reflected in the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory or more selective databases. , These new compounds and substances include many contaminants of emerging concern (CEC), and are wide-ranging by structure, use, and toxicity, spanning PFAS, phthalates, pharmaceuticals, UVCB substances (short for “unknown or variable composition, complex reaction products or of biological materials”) and microplastics, among numerous others. Recent case studies to discover causative toxicants provide clues not only for profiling actual exposure occurrences and risk assessment but impart insights into the methodological design for HRMS-based exposomics altogether.…”