First Assessment of Plasticizers in Marine Coastal Litter-Feeder Fauna in the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

Micro and nanoplastics are harmful to marine life due to their high level of fragmentation and resistance to degradation. Over the past two decades, marine coastal sediment has shown an increasing amount of microplastics being a sort of trap for debris wastes or chemicals. In such an environment some species may be successful candidates to be used as monitors of environmental and health hazards and can be considered a mirror of threats of natural habitats. Such species play a key role in the food web of littoral systems since they are litter-feeders, and are prey for fishes or higher trophic level species. A preliminary investigation was conducted on five species of small-sized amphipod crustaceans, with the aim to understand if such an animal group may reflect the risk to ecosystems health in the central Mediterranean area, recently investigated for seawater and fish contamination. This study intended to gather data related to the accumulation of plasticizers in such coast dwelling fauna. In order to detect the possible presence of xenobiotics in amphipods, six analytes were scored (phthalic acid esters and non-phthalate plasticizers), identified and quantified by the gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method. The results showed that among all the monitored contaminants, DEP and DiBP represented the most abundant compounds in the selected amphipods. The amphipod crustaceans analyzed were a good tool to detect and monitor plasticizers, and further studies of these invertebrates will help in developing a more comprehensive knowledge of chemicals spreading over a geographical area. The results are herein presented as a starting point to develop baseline data of plasticizer pollution in the Mediterranean Sea.

Microplastics in environment: global concern, challenges, and controlling measures

“…With recent advancements in tools that enabled the characterization of MPs in food, water, and air, we have seen colossal data sets generating strong evidence concerning MPs nature, chemical composition, reactivity, and structures (Kik et al 2020 ; Lo Brutto et al 2021 ; Ripken et al 2021 ).…”

Mass Spectrometry as an Analytical Tool for Detection of Microplastics in the Environment

“…Lo Brutto et al [24] have detected the presence of plasticizers and toxic derivatives of microplastic contamination in amphipods such as Talitrus saltator, Parhyale plumicornis, Parhyale aquilina, Speziorchestia stephenseni, and Orchestia montagui using GC-MS. The results showed that DEP and DiBP represented the most abundant compounds in the selected amphipods.…”

Characterization of Intertidal Macrofaunal Communities of Two Sandy Beaches under Different Anthropogenic Pressures

“…The ecological status of submerged sandy beaches can be assessed by analyzing the composition and abundance of benthic macrofauna as macrofauna living in the intertidal zone can be particularly vulnerable to beach activities and disturbances [37][38][39][40]. Even if the data on specific impacts influencing macrofauna are limited, the number of studies regarding the response of macrofaunal communities and populations towards physical disturbances has increased in recent decades [41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49]. Some of the studies are based on single indicator species, while others are focused on the overall macrofaunal community.…”