Quantification of microplastics along the Caribbean Coastline of Colombia: Pollution profile and biological effects on Caenorhabditis elegans

Acosta-Coley, Isabel; Duran-Izquierdo, Margareth; Rodríguez-Cavallo, Erika; Mercado-Camargo, Jairo; Méndez-Cuadro, Darío; Olívero-Verbel, Jesús

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.06.084

Cited by 44 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 82 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These findings are consistent with similar studies conducted on sandy beaches in the region, where PE, PP, and PS are the most reported chemical classes. 43,45,48,49 When comparing the number of plastic particles found in Pacific beaches with the GAL beach on the Caribbean coast, plastic particle numbers were lower. However, there is a greater variability in the shape of the plastic particles found in the Pacific beaches.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Distribution of Plastic Debris in the Pacific and Caribbean Beaches of Panama

Borrero

Fábrega

Olmos

et al. 2020

Air, Soil and Water Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Microplastics are a global ubiquitous problem, which is becoming a major issue of concern at scientific and political levels around the world. This study presents physical and chemical characterizations of microplastic debris and a comparison between the spatial distribution and anthropogenic activities in 4 Panamanian beaches located in both sides of the Isthmus. Two of them (Juan Diaz and San Carlos beaches) are located toward the Pacific Ocean, Panamá Province, whereas the others (Palenque and Punta Galeta beaches) are located at the Caribbean Sea, Colón Province. They were chosen to show different landscape management and environmental impacts: touristic and protected areas; coastal areas that receive pollutants and marine litter from urban rivers or are used for local fishing activities. Plastic debris samples were collected and visually analyzed following the protocol proposed by the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP). The physical characterization of the samples consisted in the determination of variables associated with the number of plastic particles, shape, color, and size. The characterization of the polymers was performed by the attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy technique. A high concentration of microplastics (353 items/m2) were found at the studied sites at the Caribbean coast, whereas a lesser concentration with a greater diversity of shapes and polymer categories were found at the Pacific Coast (187 items/m2). The results indicate that, in addition to anthropogenic activities, the proximity to Panama Canal installations, as well as seasonality, natural phenomena, winds, and ocean currents may be influencing the increase in microplastic contents and the types of polymers observed.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These findings are consistent with similar studies conducted on sandy beaches in the region, where PE, PP, and PS are the most reported chemical classes. 43,45,48,49…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of Plastic Debris in the Pacific and Caribbean Beaches of Panama

Borrero

Fábrega

Olmos

et al. 2020

Air, Soil and Water Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Notably, most of these studies except only four papers 29,[62][63][64] have adopted spherical PS particles as target material, and only two papers are utilizing field-collected or secondary-treated particles instead of purchased beads or pellets. 62,64 Although C. elegans has been suggested as a standard soil test species, 61,65 there is only one study conducting tests in soil media, 28 and 25 studies were performed using liquid media such as K-medium and M9 buffer solution (Table S2). On the other hand, six papers report size-dependent inhibitory effects of microplastic on C. elegans, [27][28][29][30]66,67 showing a tendency toward toxic effects that can be increased by smaller sizes in ranges of 0.05 to 0.2 μm, 27 0.1 to 6.0 μm, 67 and 0.1 to 5.0 μm.…”

Section: Effects Of Microplastics On Nematodes In Soilmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Different Microplastics on Nematodes in the Soil Environment: Tracking the Extractable Additives Using an Ecotoxicological Approach

Kim

Waldman

Kim

et al. 2020

Environ. Sci. Technol.

131

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

With an increasing interest in the effects of microplastic in the soil environment, there is a need to thoroughly evaluate potential adverse effects of these particles as a function of their characteristics (size, shape, and composition). In addition, extractable chemical additives from microplastic have been identified as an important toxicity pathway in the aquatic environment. However, we currently know little about effects of such additives in the soil environment. In this study on nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans), we adopted an ecotoxicological approach to assess the potential effects of thirteen different microplastics with different characteristics and extractable additives. We found that toxic effects appear to increase in the order of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film < polypropylene (PP) fragments < high-density polyethylene (HDPE) fragments ≈ polystyrene (PS) fragments < polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fragments ≈ polyacrylicnitrile (PAN) fibers. Acute toxicity was mainly attributed to the extractable additives: when the additives were extracted, the toxic effects of each microplastic disappeared in the acute soil toxicity test. The harmful effects of LDPE film and PAN fibers increased when the microplastics were maintained in soil for a longterm period with frequent wet-dry cycles. We here provide clear evidence that microplastic toxicity in the soil is highly related to particle characteristics and extractable additives. Our results suggest that future experiments consider extractable additives as a key explanatory variable.

show abstract

Section: Effects Of Microplastics On Nematodes In Soil C Elegans Ismentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Different Microplastics on Nematodes in the Soil Environment: Tracking the Extractable Additives using an Ecotoxicological Approach

Kim

Waldman

Rillig

2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ABSTRACTWith an increasing interest in the effects of microplastic in the soil environment, there is a need to thoroughly evaluate potential adverse effects of these particles as a function of their characteristics (size, shape, and composition). In addition, extractable chemical additives from microplastic have been identified as an important toxicity pathway in the aquatic environment. However, we currently know little about effects of such additives in the soil environment. In this study on nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans), we adopted an ecotoxicological approach to assess the potential effects of thirteen different microplastics with different characteristics and extractable additives. We found that toxic effects appear to increase in the order of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film < polypropylene (PP) fragments < high-density polyethylene (HDPE) fragments ≈ polystyrene (PS) fragments < polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fragments ≈ polyacrylicnitrile (PAN) fibers. Acute toxicity was mainly attributed to the extractable additives: when the additives were extracted, the toxic effects of each microplastic disappeared in the acute soil toxicity test. The harmful effects of LDPE film and PAN fibers increased when the microplastics were maintained in soil for a long-term period with frequent wet-dry cycles. We here provide clear evidence that microplastic toxicity in the soil is highly related to particle characteristics and extractable additives. Our results suggest that future experiments consider extractable additives as a key explanatory variable.Abstract art/Table of contents

show abstract

Quantification of microplastics along the Caribbean Coastline of Colombia: Pollution profile and biological effects on Caenorhabditis elegans

Cited by 44 publications

References 82 publications

Distribution of Plastic Debris in the Pacific and Caribbean Beaches of Panama

Distribution of Plastic Debris in the Pacific and Caribbean Beaches of Panama

Effects of Different Microplastics on Nematodes in the Soil Environment: Tracking the Extractable Additives Using an Ecotoxicological Approach

Effects of Different Microplastics on Nematodes in the Soil Environment: Tracking the Extractable Additives using an Ecotoxicological Approach

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About