HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS

The prevalence of microplastics (plastics that are smaller than <5 mm in size) in natural environments has become a widely recognized global issue. Microplastics have been shown to absorb chemical pollutants from the surrounding environment, raising concerns about their role in the movement of these pollutants through the food chain. Multiple studies have investigated whether organic pollutants in microbeads (MBs) from personal care products were absorbed by fish following particle ingestion. Rainbowfish (Melanotaenia fluviatilis) were exposed to MBs with absorbed polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and sampled at 0, 21, 42, and 63 days, along with two control treatments (food only and food + clean MBs). The exposed fish had significantly higher PBDE concentrations than both control treatments after just 21 days. Continued exposure resulted in an increased accumulation of the pollutants over the duration of the experiment.

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Contamination of the natural environment with plastic debris is an increasingly high-priority concern among industry regulators, scientists, and citizens. Aside from the negative impacts on natural aesthetics, plastic debris can cause ecological harm, entanglement, and starvation when ingested by animals. Plastic absorbs and concentrates pollutants from the surrounding environment, particularly hydrophobic organic chemicals, which are usually not available to aquatic organisms via the water pathway. The role that plastic debris plays in the movement of chemical pollution and contamination of food chains is unclear. However, an increasing body of evidence supports the hypothesis that plastics can facilitate the bioaccumulation of pollution in a variety of exposed organisms.

 

Source: ACS Publications