Are we underestimating the sources of microplastic pollution in terrestrial environment?

Xu, Chenye; Zhang, Beibei; Gu, Chunjie; Shen, Chensi; Yin, Shanshan; Aamir, Muhammad; Li, Fang

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123228

Cited by 327 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 117 publications

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“…Via two proven effective antioxidants—lipoic acid and melatonin [ 51 ], the causality between PS micro- and nanoplastics exposure, ROS generation, epithelial cell apoptosis, and increased intestinal permeability has been confirmed in this study by clearing ROS during PS micro- and nanoplastic exposure. By using PS as one of the most abundant and typical micro- and nanoplastics [ 52 , 53 ], our results draw an overall perspective that micro- and nanoplastics may induce oxidative stress in the small intestine, resulting in epithelial cell apoptosis and loss of the intestinal barrier. This led to increased intestinal permeability and micro- and nanoplastics absorption.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Underestimated health risks: polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics jointly induce intestinal barrier dysfunction by ROS-mediated epithelial cell apoptosis

et al. 2021

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Background Micro- and nanoplastic pollution has become a global environmental problem. Nanoplastics in the environment are still hard to detect because of analysis technology limitations. It is believed that when microplastics are found in the environment, more undetected nanoplastics are around. The current “microplastic exposure” is in fact the mixture of micro- and nanoplastic exposures. Therefore, the biological interaction between organisms among different sizes of micro- and nanoplastics should not be neglected. Results We measured the biodistribution of three polystyrene (PS) particles (50 nm PS, PS50; 500 nm PS, PS500; 5000 nm PS, PS5000) under single and co-exposure conditions in mice. We explored the underlying mechanisms by investigating the effects on three major components of the intestinal barrier (the mucus layer, tight junctions and the epithelial cells) in four intestine segments (duodenum, jejunum, ileum and colon) of mice. We found that the amounts of both PS500 and PS5000 increased when they were co-exposed with PS50 for 24 h in the mice. These increased amounts were due primarily to the increased permeability in the mouse intestines. We also confirmed there was a combined toxicity of PS50 and PS500 in the mouse intestines. This manifested as the mixture of PS50 and PS500 causing more severe dysfunction of the intestinal barrier than that caused by PS50 or PS500 alone. We found that the combined toxicity of PS micro- and nanoplastics on intestinal barrier dysfunction was caused primarily by reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated epithelial cell apoptosis in the mice. These findings were further confirmed by an oxidants or antioxidants pretreatment study. In addition, the combined toxicity of PS micro- and nanoplastics was also found in the mice after a 28-day repeated dose exposure. Conclusions There is a combined toxicity of PS50 and PS500 in the mouse intestines, which was caused primarily by ROS-mediated epithelial cell apoptosis in the mice. Considering that most recent studies on PS micro- and nanoplastics have been conducted using a single particle size, the health risks of exposure to PS micro- and nanoplastics on organisms may be underestimated.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Underestimated health risks: polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics jointly induce intestinal barrier dysfunction by ROS-mediated epithelial cell apoptosis

et al. 2021

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“…Among the six priority controlled PAEs, DEHP and DBP were detected (Table 2). PAEs as the common pollutants in soil have a negative effect on soil enzyme and microbes and are often regarded as the "environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals" (Xu et al, 2020). Our results showed that the contents of PAEs in CKBC and CKBM were significantly higher than those in CK.…”

Section: Figure 2 | Tn and Nomentioning

confidence: 60%

Combined Effects of Microplastics and Biochar on the Removal of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Phthalate Esters and Its Potential Microbial Ecological Mechanism

et al. 2021

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Microplastics (MPs) have been attracting wide attention. Biochar (BC) application could improve the soil quality in the contaminated soil. Currently, most studies focused on the effect of MPs or BC on the soil properties and microbial community, while they neglected the combined effects. This study investigated the combined effects of BC or ball-milled BC (BM) and polyethylene plastic fragments (PEPFs) and degradable plastic fragments (DPFs) on the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phthalate esters (PAEs) from the PAH-contaminated soil and the potential microbial ecological mechanisms. The results showed that BC or BM combined with PEPF could accelerate the removal of PAHs and PAEs. PEPF combined with BM had the most significant effect on the removal of PAHs. Our results indicating two potential possible reasons contribute to increasing the removal of organic pollutants: (1) the high sorption rate on the PEPF and BC and (2) the increased PAH-degrader or PAE-degrader abundance for the removal of organic pollutants.

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“…As a result of the fashion industry's impact, there is expected to be a three-fold increase in terms of (non-renewable) resource consumption, and over ten-fold increase in terms of the industry's carbon budget (based on the 2-degree scenario). Furthermore, during the time period of 2015-2050, the fashion industry is projected to add 22 million tonnes of microfibres into the ocean, a serious global environmental threat (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017; Xu et al, 2020).…”

Section: Benefits Of Recycling Textilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review: can waste wool keratin be regenerated as a novel textile fibre via the reduction method?

Lebedytė

Sun

2021

The Journal of The Textile Institute

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In the mid-twentieth century, natural fibre shortages spurred research into regenerated protein fibres, including research into regenerated wool keratin. Although these materials were soon displaced by outperforming synthetic fibres, today's global shifts towards an eco-friendlier, more environmentally aware, sustainable fashion industry have increased interest into such materials. This paper discusses the theory behind chemically recycling wool (keratin) from textile waste via a mixed solvent system that employs reduction, one of the several possible methods, and then wet spinning of a blended keratin solution to create a novel filament. The scope is to create a high value product that could help close the loop of the wool textile industry. Chemical wool recycling is suggested as a complementary process to the already existing mechanical wool recycling methods, as it can be used for materials that cannot be processed mechanically. It is generally recognised that regenerated wool keratin has poor mechanical stability and if used for textile production would most likely exist in blends with other materials and require post-processing to improve performance. These novel materials could displace some of the currently dominant fibres on the textile market and therefore help mitigate some the negative environmental impacts of the fashion industry, provided they meet ecofriendly credentials in their manufacture and end-of-life. The chemical principles outlined herein can be in many cases applied to other keratinaceous waste streams such as non-edible animal products (horns, hooves), feathers and, importantly, other (non-textile) sources of wool.

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Are we underestimating the sources of microplastic pollution in terrestrial environment?

Cited by 327 publications

References 117 publications

Underestimated health risks: polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics jointly induce intestinal barrier dysfunction by ROS-mediated epithelial cell apoptosis

Underestimated health risks: polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics jointly induce intestinal barrier dysfunction by ROS-mediated epithelial cell apoptosis

Combined Effects of Microplastics and Biochar on the Removal of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Phthalate Esters and Its Potential Microbial Ecological Mechanism

A review: can waste wool keratin be regenerated as a novel textile fibre via the reduction method?

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