Anthropogenic microfibres pollution in marine biota. A new and simple methodology to minimize airborne contamination

Torre, Michele; Digka, Nikoletta; Anastasopoulou, Aikaterini; Tsangaris, Catherine; Mytilineou, Chryssi

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.07.050

Cited by 143 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Airborne fibres contamination of field samples is a challenge in MP studies and this can take place any time during collection, processing and/or microscopic observation, with sample dissection and digestion of mussels being the most vulnerable steps to contamination . Contamination is extremely hard to eliminate, even in highly controlled and/or forensic conditions (Torre et al, 2016;Woodall et al, 2015). So it is essential to systematically use procedural blanks to quantify it , to apply good laboratorial practices (GLP) for quality assurance (Torre et al, 2016) and to report openly real levels of contamination, so that appropriate data analysis, interpretation and inter-studies comparisons can be done.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Contamination is extremely hard to eliminate, even in highly controlled and/or forensic conditions (Torre et al, 2016;Woodall et al, 2015). So it is essential to systematically use procedural blanks to quantify it , to apply good laboratorial practices (GLP) for quality assurance (Torre et al, 2016) and to report openly real levels of contamination, so that appropriate data analysis, interpretation and inter-studies comparisons can be done. Even though we applied GLP (see , we observed contamination in our procedural blanks, which, if not taken into consideration in particle counts, influenced data analysis results and therefore interpretation (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Low levels of microplastics (MP) in wild mussels indicate that MP ingestion by humans is minimal compared to exposure via household fibres fallout during a meal

Catarino

Macchia

Sanderson

et al. 2018

Environmental Pollution

565

247

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Microplastics (MPs) are the most numerous debris reported in marine environments and assessment of the amounts of MPs that accumulate in wild organisms is necessary for risk assessment. Our objective was to assess MP contamination in mussels collected around the coast of Scotland (UK) to identify characteristics of MPs and to evaluate risk of human exposure to MPs via ingestion of mussels. We deployed caged mussels (Mytilus edulis) in an urbanised estuary (Edinburgh, UK) to assess seasonal changes in plastic pollution, and collected mussels (Mytilus spp and subtidal Modiolus modiolus) from eight sampling stations around Scotland to enumerate MP types at different locations. We determined the potential exposure of humans to household dust fibres during a meal to compare with amounts of MPs present in edible mussels. The mean number of MPs in M. modiolus was 0.086 ± 0.031 (SE, n = 6)/g ww (3.5 ± 1.29 (SE) per mussel). In Mytilus spp, the mean number of MPs/g ww was 3.0 ± 0.9 (SE, n = 36) (3.2 ± 0.52 (SE) per mussel), but weight dependent. The visual accuracy of plastic fibres identification was estimated to be between 48 and 50%, using Nile Red staining and FT-IR methodologies, respectively, halving the observed amounts of MPs in wild mussels. We observed an allometric relationship between the number of MPs and the mussels wet weight. Our predictions of MPs ingestion by humans via consumption of mussels is 123 MP particles/y/capita in the UK and can go up to 4620 particles/y/capita in countries with a higher shellfish consumption. By comparison, the risk of plastic ingestion via mussel consumption is minimal when compared to fibre exposure during a meal via dust fallout in a household (13,731-68,415 particles/Y/capita).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low levels of microplastics (MP) in wild mussels indicate that MP ingestion by humans is minimal compared to exposure via household fibres fallout during a meal

Catarino

Macchia

Sanderson

et al. 2018

Environmental Pollution

565

247

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These include density separations with varying types and concentrations of salts, sieving, removal of organic matter with acids, bases, peroxide and enzymes (or combinations thereof) and drying or decomposing samples at different temperatures (Hermsen et al, 2017;Hidalgo-Ruz, Gutow, Thompson, & Thiel, 2012;K€ uhn et al, 2017;Lusher, Welden, Sobral, & Cole, 2017;Rocha-Santos & Duarte, 2015;Song et al, 2015;Van Cauwenberghe, Devriese, Galgani, Robbens, & Janssen, 2015). These methods differ in the extent to which particles other than plastic are removed, the likelihood of contamination of the samples with procedural plastic particles from materials used or the work space (Foekema et al, 2013;Torre, Digka, Anastasopoulou, Tsangaris, & Mytilineou, 2016), but also in the extent to which plastic particles that are present in the environmental samples are retained in the samples. Losses of plastic particles occur during these procedures, depending on the number of extraction cycles involved and the aggressiveness of the chemicals used.…”

Section: Challenges In Defining Micro-and Nanoplastic Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying ecological risks of aquatic micro- and nanoplastic

Besseling

Redondo‐Hasselerharm

Foekema

et al. 2018

Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology

378

260

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Diverse effects of nano-and microplastic (NMP) have been demonstrated in the laboratory. We provide a broad review of current knowledge on occurrence, measurement, modeling approaches, fate, exposure, effects, and effect thresholds as regard to microplastics in the aquatic environment. Using this information, we perform a 'proof of concept' risk assessment for NMP, accounting for the diversity of the material. New data is included showing how bioturbation affects exposure, and exposure is evaluated based on literature data and model analyses. We review exposure and effect data and provide a worst case risk characterization, by comparing HC 5 effect thresholds from 'all inclusive' Species Sensitivity Distributions (SSDs) with the highest environmental concentrations reported. HC 5 values show wide confidence intervals yet suggest that sensitive aquatic organisms in near-shore surface waters might be at risk.

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“…Clothing and laboratory coats were 100% cotton for the duration of the study. The microscope cover was used whenever the microscope was not in use, and gloves were always worn (Torre et al, 2016). The lab area was cleaned with an IMS solution three times prior to beginning any analysis.…”

Section: Microparticle Laboratory Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A control petri dish with damp filter paper was placed on the lab bench and analysed at the end of the study to identify any potential air contamination (Courtene-Jones et al, 2017a). Protocols to ensure a clean laboratory environment are more effective than excluding certain microparticles in analysis (Torre et al, 2016). Therefore, no particles were excluded in the analysis.…”

Section: Microparticle Laboratory Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Baseline Assessment of Marine Litter and Microplastic Ingestion by Cold-Water Coral Reef Benthos at the East Mingulay Marine Protected Area (Sea of the Hebrides, Western Scotland)

et al. 2019

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The extent of marine litter and microplastic occurrence across ocean biomes and species remains poorly characterised, particularly in remote deep-water ecosystems. The present study in the East Mingulay Special Area of Conservation (a Marine Protected Area in the Sea of the Hebrides, western Scotland) used historic surveys and benthic samples to obtain baseline levels of anthropogenic debris and microparticle ingestion. Most debris identified in the MPA was fisheries-related. A total of 11% of benthic macrofauna from Mingulay Reef Area 1 and Banana Reef had ingested microplastics, with no statistically significant effect of feeding guild, station, or reef, on ingestion rates. However, the ingestion rate was highest at a station located in a topographic hollow along a gentle sloping area with strong variable ocean currents where fine-scale interactions between bathymetry and hydrography may have helped trap and focus microparticles. Raman spectroscopy of microparticles revealed several types of polymers being ingested, tentatively identified as polypropylene (PP), polyurethane (PU), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Besides establishing a baseline assessment of marine litter and microparticles in a deep-water setting, the approach demonstrates the utility of using historic data and specimens collected for other purposes to expand the geographic and ecosystem coverage for larger more regional-scale and even basin-wide assessments such as those needed to inform Good Environmental Status in European waters, as called for by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

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Anthropogenic microfibres pollution in marine biota. A new and simple methodology to minimize airborne contamination

Cited by 143 publications

References 21 publications

Low levels of microplastics (MP) in wild mussels indicate that MP ingestion by humans is minimal compared to exposure via household fibres fallout during a meal

Low levels of microplastics (MP) in wild mussels indicate that MP ingestion by humans is minimal compared to exposure via household fibres fallout during a meal

Quantifying ecological risks of aquatic micro- and nanoplastic

Baseline Assessment of Marine Litter and Microplastic Ingestion by Cold-Water Coral Reef Benthos at the East Mingulay Marine Protected Area (Sea of the Hebrides, Western Scotland)

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