Proceed with caution: The need to raise the publication bar for microplastics research

Provencher, Jennifer F.; Covernton, Garth A.; Moore, R.C.; Horn, Dorothy A.; Conkle, Jeremy L.; Lusher, Amy

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141426

Cited by 83 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Reviews published in 2019 saw these numbers triple, indicating that research interest, and possibly the scope and intensity of the problem, is mounting (Azevedo‐Santos et al, 2019; Markic et al, 2019). However, as studies have become increasingly common, so too have methods of detection improved (Provencher et al, 2019, 2020). Numerous recent studies have described issues with lack of standardization of these methods across studies, and have suggested guidelines to harmonize data collection and reporting (Cowger et al, 2020; Dehaut et al, 2019; Hermsen et al, 2018; Provencher et al, 2017, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plastic ingestion by marine fish is widespread and increasing

Savoca

McInturf

Hazen

2021

Global Change Biology

167

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Plastic pollution has pervaded almost every facet of the biosphere, yet we lack an understanding of consumption risk by marine species at the global scale. To address this, we compile data from research documenting plastic debris ingestion by marine fish, totaling 171,774 individuals of 555 species. Overall, 386 marine fish species have ingested plastic debris including 210 species of commercial importance. However, 148 species studied had no records of plastic consumption, suggesting that while this evolutionary trap is widespread, it is not yet universal. Across all studies that accounted for microplastics, the incidence rate of plastic ingested by fish was 26%. Over the last decade this incidence has doubled, increasing by 2.4 ± 0.4% per year. This is driven both by increasing detection of smaller sized particles as a result of improved methodologies, as well as an increase in fish consuming plastic. Further, we investigated the role of geographic, ecological, and behavioral factors in the ingestion of plastic across species. These analyses revealed that the abundance of plastic in surface waters was positively correlated to plastic ingestion. Demersal species are more likely to ingest plastic in shallow waters; in contrast, pelagic species were most likely to consume plastic below the mixed layer. Mobile predatory species had the highest likelihood to ingest plastic; similarly, we found a positive relationship between trophic level and plastic ingestion. We also find evidence that surface ingestion‐deep sea egestion of microplastics by mesopelagic myctophids is likely a key mechanism for the export of microplastics from the surface ocean to the seafloor, a sink for marine debris. These results elucidate the role of ecology and biogeography underlying plastic ingestion by marine fish and point toward species and regions in urgent need of study.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plastic ingestion by marine fish is widespread and increasing

Savoca

McInturf

Hazen

2021

Global Change Biology

167

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“…Provencher et al. [12] have recently called for more standardization in order to achieve repeatable methodologies, Barcelo [1] has stressed the importance of standardized analytical methods, and Barletta et al. [2] have presented a detailed sampling design to study microplastics in coastal and estuarine systems.…”

Section: Methods Detailsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastic fiber diet—Fiber-supplemented pellets for small fish

Rebelein

Focken

2021

MethodsX

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Ingestion of microplastic particles and fibers is frequently reported for aquatic organisms collected in the field. At the same time, only few studies investigate potential effects of ingestion of microplastic fibers due to handling issues in the laboratory. Exposure studies, which provide organisms with microplastic fibers via the diet, are a necessary step to analyze impact thresholds of vital and fitness parameters of aquatic organisms. Based on the limited number of studies providing fish with fiber-supplemented pellets, the following protocol presents a way to prepare a diet for fish that is supplemented with homogeneous distributed microplastic fibers for exposure studies. Produced pellets are suitable for small experimental fish, such as sticklebacks (2–5 cm), and can be manufactured up to amounts of several hundred grams and even few kilograms. The method can be adapted to different commercial fish feeds and microplastic fiber types due to manual preparation. Low-cost, manual preparation of microplastic fibers Preparation of a pelleted fish diet with uniformly distributed fibers Adaptable to different commercial fish feeds and microplastic fiber types.

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“…Thus, coalescing on immature methods that fail to adequately identify the range of microplastics is illadvised. Provencher et al (2020) discussed the concept of method harmonization versus strict standardization. These authors also point out the responsibility of manuscript reviewers and journal editors in ensuring the appropriateness of the methods, data, and language used by authors.…”

Section: Quality Assurance and Quality Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analytical Chemistry of Plastic Debris: Sampling, Methods, and Instrumentation

Hale

Seeley

King

et al. 2021

Environmental Contamination Remediation and Management

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Approaches for the collection and analysis of plastic debris in environmental matrices are rapidly evolving. Such plastics span a continuum of sizes, encompassing large (macro-), medium (micro-, typically defined as particles between 1 μm and 5 mm), and smaller (nano-) plastics. All are of environmental relevance. Particle sizes are dynamic. Large plastics may fragment over time, while smaller particles may agglomerate in the field. The diverse morphologies (fragment, fiber, sphere) and chemical compositions of microplastics further complicate their characterization. Fibers are of growing interest and present particular analytical challenges due to their narrow profiles. Compositional classes of emerging concern include tire wear, paint chips, semisynthetics (e.g., rayon), and bioplastics. Plastics commonly contain chemical additives and fillers, which may alter their toxicological potency, behavior (e.g., buoyancy), or detector response (e.g., yield fluorescence) during analysis. Field sampling methods often focus on >20 μm and even >300 μm sized particles and will thus not capture smaller microplastics (which may be most abundant and bioavailable). Analysis of a limited subgroup (selected polymer types, particle sizes, or shapes) of microplastics, while often operationally necessary, can result in an underestimation of actual sample content. These shortcomings complicate calls for toxicological studies of microplastics to be based on “environmentally relevant concentrations.” Sample matrices of interest include water (including wastewater, ice, snow), sediment (soil, dust, wastewater sludge), air, and biota. Properties of the environment, and of the particles themselves, may concentrate plastic debris in select zones (e.g., gyres, shorelines, polar ice, wastewater sludge). Sampling designs should consider such patchy distributions. Episodic releases due to weather and anthropogenic discharges should also be considered. While water grab samples and sieving are commonplace, novel techniques for microplastic isolation, such as continuous flow centrifugation, show promise. The abundance of nonplastic particulates (e.g., clay, detritus, biological material) in samples interferes with microplastic detection and characterization. Their removal is typically accomplished using a combination of gravity separation and oxidative digestion (including strong bases, peroxide, enzymes); unfortunately, aggressive treatments may damage more labile plastics. Microscope-based infrared or Raman detection is often applied to provide polymer chemistry and morphological data for individual microplastic particles. However, the sheer number of particles in many samples presents logistical hurdles. In response, instruments have been developed that employ detector arrays and rapid scanning lasers. The addition of dyes to stain particulates may facilitate spectroscopic detection of some polymer types. Most researchers provide microplastic data in the form of the abundances of polymer types within particle size, polymer, and morphology classes. Polymer mass data in samples remain rare but are essential to elucidating fate. Rather than characterizing individual particles in samples, solvent extraction (following initial sample prep, such as sediment size class sorting), combined with techniques such as thermoanalysis (e.g., pyrolysis), has been used to generate microplastic mass data. However, this may obviate the acquisition of individual particle morphology and compositional information. Alternatively, some techniques (e.g., electron and atomic force microscopy and matrix-assisted laser desorption mass spectrometry) are adept at providing highly detailed data on the size, morphology, composition, and surface chemistry of select particles. Ultimately, the analyst must select the approach best suited for their study goals. Robust quality control elements are also critical to evaluate the accuracy and precision of the sampling and analysis techniques. Further, improved efforts are required to assess and control possible sample contamination due to the ubiquitous distribution of microplastics, especially in indoor environments where samples are processed.

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Proceed with caution: The need to raise the publication bar for microplastics research

Cited by 83 publications

References 48 publications

Plastic ingestion by marine fish is widespread and increasing

Plastic ingestion by marine fish is widespread and increasing

Microplastic fiber diet—Fiber-supplemented pellets for small fish

Analytical Chemistry of Plastic Debris: Sampling, Methods, and Instrumentation

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