Microplastics as a vector of hydrophobic contaminants: Importance of hydrophobic additives

Kwon, Jung Hwan; Chang, Sein; Hong, Sang Hee; Shim, Won Joon

doi:10.1002/ieam.1906

Cited by 179 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Microplastics do not significantly enhance the contaminant concentration, which has already been intensively discussed (Koelmans et al ). Nevertheless, the long‐range transport potential is given and may be important in the risk assessment of plastic‐associated additives whose input paths differ from those of the common legacy persistent organic pollutants (Kwon et al ). As illustrated in the Graphical Abstract, we presume, according to estimated time scales, that times necessary to achieve 50% equilibration can serve as a tool to distinguish whether particles may act as vectors or samplers.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastic–Contaminant Interactions: Influence of Nonlinearity and Coupled Mass Transfer

Seidensticker

Zarfl

Cirpka

et al. 2019

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Microplastic particles are ubiquitously detected in the environment. Despite intensive public and scientific discussions, their potential to transport contaminants in rivers and oceans under environmental conditions is still under assessment. In the present study we measured sorption isotherms and kinetics in batch experiments using phenanthrene (as a typical hydrophobic wastewater contaminant) and microplastic particles of different sizes and materials. We observed a linear sorption isotherm for polyethylene, in contrast to nonlinear sorption of polyamide and polystyrene, which could be best described by the Freundlich and the Polanyi–Dubinin–Manes isotherms, respectively. We modeled sorption kinetics as a combination of external mass transfer governed by diffusion through an aqueous boundary layer and intraparticle diffusion within the plastic. Which of these processes controls the kinetics depends on the sorption strength, particle size, diffusion coefficients, and time. We used semi‐analytical and numerical methods to simulate the coupled mass transfer for both linear and nonlinear sorption. We successfully applied the semi‐analytical model to polyethylene and the numerical code to polyamide and polystyrene, reproducing the measured kinetics and obtaining reasonable values for mass transfer and intraparticle diffusion coefficients. Subsequently, we used these coefficients to estimate the transport potential and relevant time scales for microplastic‐bound contaminants under environmental conditions. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:1635–1644. © 2019 SETAC

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastic–Contaminant Interactions: Influence of Nonlinearity and Coupled Mass Transfer

Seidensticker

Zarfl

Cirpka

et al. 2019

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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“…Moreover, there is also not so much evidence that MPs can act as a vector for hydrophobic organic compounds to accumulate in organisms (Koelmans et al 2016;Diepens and Koelmans 2018). However, there is still a discrepancy between the particle types, size ranges and concentrations in the tests carried out in the laboratory and those that are found in nature (Kwon et al 2017;Hartmann et al 2017;Burns and Boxall 2018). Therefore, there is an urgent need for quality assurance of data achieved keeping in mind realistic exposure assessments.…”

Section: Researchers' Needs and Expectationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing the analytical challenges related to micro- and nanoplastics in the environment and food: filling the knowledge gaps

Alexy

Anklam

Emans

et al. 2019

Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A

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This paper identifies knowledge gaps on the sustainability and impacts of plastics and presents some recommendations from an expert group that met at a special seminar organised by the European Commission at the end of 2018. The benefits of plastics in society are unquestionable, but there is an urgent need to better manage their value chain. The recently adopted European Strategy for Plastics stressed the need to tackle the challenges related to plastics with a focus on plastic litter including microplastics. Microplastics have been detected mainly in the marine environment, but also in freshwater, soil and air. Based on today's knowledge they may also be present in food products. Although nanoplastics have not yet been detected, it can be assumed that they are also present in the environment. This emerging issue presents challenges to better understand future research needs and the appropriate immediate actions to be taken to support the necessary societal and policy initiatives. It has become increasingly apparent that a broad and systematic approach is required to achieve sustainable actions and solutions along the entire supply chain. It is recognised that there is a pressing need for the monitoring of the environment and food globally. However, despite the number of research projects increasing, there is still a lack of suitable and validated analytical methods for detection and quantification of micro-and nanoplastics. There is also a lack of hazard and fate data which would allow for their risk assessment. Some priorities are identified in this paper to bridge the knowledge gaps for appropriate management of these challenges. At the same time it is acknowledged that there is a great complexity in the challenges that need to be tackled before a really comprehensive environmental assessment of plastics, covering their entire life cycle, will be possible. ARTICLE HISTORY

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“…These materials can also certainly be ingested, owing to their small size (Huerta Lwanga et al 2017b). However, current thermoplastics applications rely heavily on the use of sub-micron additives, mostly plasticizers, antioxidants, flame retardants and photostabilisers (Kwon et al 2017), commonly of small molecular size and not chemically bound to the polymer (da Costa et al 2017) and consequently susceptible to leach from the plastic particles. Generally, these compounds are also hydrophobic, not readily biodegradable and, being lipophilic in nature, these additives may permeate cell membranes and become involved in biochemical reactions with concomitant potential (cyto)toxic effects (Crawford and Quinn 2017: pp.…”

Section: Risksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics in soils: assessment, analytics and risks

et al. 2019

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Environmental contextThere is increasing concern from both the general public and the scientific community about microplastic-related pollution. Despite the alarming and well-documented accumulation of plastics in the marine environment, little attention has been paid to the sources, fate and effects of microplastics in terrestrial settings. We overview the prevalence of microplastics in soils, evaluate their impacts, and appraise the current difficulties in their determinations in terms of sampling, isolation and identification. AbstractThere has been an increasing interest by both the general public and the scientific community in microplastic-related pollution. Owing to their physical and chemical characteristics, these highly ubiquitous contaminants may be ingested by numerous organisms at the base of food-webs. Furthermore, owing to their tendency to adsorb other chemical substances, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), these plastic particles can lead to bioaccumulation and bioamplification phenomena, which significantly increases their potential environmental effects. However, most of the current research available is focussed on the prevalence and effects of these materials in water, and, more precisely, in oceans. Although this is understandable, owing to the alarming accumulation of plastics in this environmental compartment, little attention has been paid to the sources, fate and effects of microplastics (MPs) in terrestrial settings. This is further complicated by the current lack of universally accepted methods for the assessment and identification of MPs, not only in liquid, but also in solid matrices. We overview the most current data regarding the presence and prevalence of MPs in soils and evaluate their recognised impacts and potential consequences. We also appraise the current sampling, isolation and identification methodologies and suggest methods that may contribute to the development of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the sampling and characterisation of these pervasive pollutants in complex matrices, such as soils.

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Microplastics as a vector of hydrophobic contaminants: Importance of hydrophobic additives

Cited by 179 publications

References 40 publications

Microplastic–Contaminant Interactions: Influence of Nonlinearity and Coupled Mass Transfer

Microplastic–Contaminant Interactions: Influence of Nonlinearity and Coupled Mass Transfer

Managing the analytical challenges related to micro- and nanoplastics in the environment and food: filling the knowledge gaps

Microplastics in soils: assessment, analytics and risks

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