Ingestion of rubber tips of artificial turf fields by goldfish

Abstract

Marine microplastics are one of the global environmental issues. The present study examined whether rubber tips of artificial sports fields could be marine microplastics. We observed the migration of rubber tips from the artificial turf field to the surrounding ditch connected to sewer pipes and then examined the ingestion of rubber tips using the goldfish Carassius auratus. The rubber tips found in sediments in the ditch suggest that the rubber tips could be sent to the river and released into the ocean. The goldfish ingested rubber tips with or without fish feed, and rubber tips were found in the intestine. However, the fish discharged the rubber tips within 48 h after ingestion. These results indicate that ingestion of the rubber tips was not accidental but an active behavior. Therefore, artificial turf sports fields could be a source of marine microplastics and may cause hazardous effects on wild fishes through ingestion.

Polylactic Acid-Based Microplastic Particles Induced Oxidative Damage in Brain and Gills of Goldfish Carassius auratus

“…The cyprinid Carassius auratus, the goldfish, is a commonly used fish model in ecotoxicity studies due to its wide availability and easy handling. Goldfish have been successfully used in both short-term (e.g., as short as 60 min) and long-term (e.g., nearly two months) exposure studies employing various endpoints (e.g., oxidative stress, LPO, behavioral changes, neurotoxicity, transcriptomic changes) [42][43][44][45][46][47][48]. In particular, C. auratus has shown significantly elevated MDA levels in the brain and liver (but not in the gills) after exposure to 0.5 mg L −1 of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microplastic (0.1 to 1000 µm size) for 96 h [49].…”

Migration of Artificial Turf Fibers from Artificial Turf Sports Field and Their Ingestion by Goldfish

“…Microplastics are released from various sources such as litter, construction waste, agricultural plastic film, tires, fishing gear, and artificial turfs [1]. Previous studies have indicated artificial turf sports fields (ATSFs) to be an origin of MPs [17][18][19][20][21]. The artificial turf sports field consists of artificial turf fibers (ATFs, synthetic grass) and RTs used for the absorption of shocks generated due to player activities on the field.…”

“…Our previous experiments have demonstrated that goldfish, Carassius auratus, Japanese crucian carp, Carassius auratus subsp. 2, and rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, ingest RTs in the presence as well as absence of feed under laboratory conditions [20,21], suggesting that wild fishes can ingest RTs present in the aquatic environments. These results led us to consider that sports facilities could be one of the sources of MPs and we need to take measures to stop the migration of RTs from ATSFs to aquatic environments.…”

“…Compared with studies on RTs as a MP, the impacts of ATFs on the environment are largely unknown. There are two types of artificial turfs: artificial turfs (lawn) without RT infills, used for private yards and private open outdoor spaces [22]; and artificial turfs for sports fields consisting of RT infills [20]. When ATFs are detached or torn, they enter the surrounding environment, including the aquatic environment, as MPs.…”

“…In extension to our previous studies on the RTs from ATSFs [20,21], we focused on the fibers of ATSFs in the present study. The objective of the present study was to examine whether the fibers of ATSFs could end up as marine MPs.…”