Plastic additives and legacy persistent organic pollutants in the preen gland oil of seabirds sampled across the globe

Abstract

Plastic pollution, and its associated impacts on marine fauna due to chemical contamination, is an area of growing global concern. We analyzed 145 preen gland oil samples from 32 seabird species belonging to 8 families with different foraging habits and life history strategies from around the world for plastic additives and legacy persistent organic pollutants. The additives included two brominated flame retardants (decabromodiphenyl ether, BDE209; decabromo diphenyl ethane, DBDPE) and six benzotriazole UV stabilizers (BUVSs; UVP, UV326, UV329, UV328, UV327, and UV234). Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites: DDTs and hexachlorocyclohexane: HCHs) were detected ubiquitously. High concentrations of PCBs (up to 20,000 ng / g-lipid) were observed in the seabirds from higher-trophic level taxa. These patterns can be attributed to PCB exposure via their diet and associated biomagnification. DDT concentrations showed strong

Monitoring litter and microplastics in Arctic mammals and birds

“…Organophosphate flame retardants have also been detected in fin whales from the North Atlantic (Garcia-Garin et al 2020). A recent study also reported a correlation between plastic additives in the preen oil of several seabird species from different ocean basins and the amount of ingested plastics, while POPs were ubiquitously present (Yamashita et al 2021).…”

“…Plastic additives have also been detected in Arctic-breeding seabird preen oil. While Provencher et al (2020) did not detect phthalates in northern fulmar preen oil from the Canadian Arctic, a recent study showed several other plastic additives in preen oil from seabirds in Alaska and Greenland (Yamashita et al 2021).…”

Comment on “Addressing the importance of microplastic particles as vectors for long‐range transport of chemical contaminants: perspective in relation to prioritizing research and regulatory actions”

“…Here, we modeled the travel distance and travel time of plastic debris stranding on the beaches of Marion Island and Gough Island, two remote islands located in the Sub--Antarctic Indian Ocean and Southern Atlantic Ocean, respectively, where high concentrations of chemical additives have been detected in the preen gland oil of birds. 22 Details on the applied ocean circulation model, the two scenarios investigated and the results are provided in the Appendix. In brief, the model shows that plastic debris from river sources is very unlikely to reach Marion Island.…”

Covid-19-derived plastic debris contaminating marine ecosystem: Alert from a sea turtle

“…The masks were extracted with n-hexane according to Sakuragi et al (2021) . The extracts were acetylated and purified by silica gel column chromatography and benzotriazole-type UV stabilizers were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry according to Yamashita et al (2021) . Reproducibility and recovery were confirmed in advance through four replicate analyses of hexane-extracts of a polyurethane bottle with and without spiking of native benzotriazole-type UV stabilizers standards.…”