Toxicity of leachate from weathering plastics: An exploratory screening study with Nitocra spinipes

Abstract

Between 60% and 80% of all marine litter is plastic. Leachate from plastics has previously been shown to cause acute toxicity in the freshwater species Daphnia magna. Here, we present an initial screening of the marine environmental hazard properties of leachates from weathering plastics to the marine harpacticoid copepod [Crustacea] Nitocra spinipes. Twenty-one plastic products made of different polymeric materials were leached and irradiated with artificial sunlight. Eight of the twenty-one plastics (38%) produced leachates that caused acute toxicity. Differences in toxicity were seen for different plastic products, and depending on the duration of irradiation. There was no consistent trend in how toxicity of leachate from plastics changed as a function of irradiation time. Leachate from four plastics became significantly more toxic after irradiation, two became significantly less toxic and two did not change significantly. Analysis of leachates from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) by liquid chromatography coupled to a full-scan high-resolution mass spectrometer showed that the leachates were a mixture of substances, but did not show evidence of degradation of the polymer backbone. This screening study demonstrates that leachates from different plastics differ in toxicity to N. spinipes and that the toxicity varies under simulated weathering.

Microplastics Are Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Freshwater Environments: An Overview

“…For instance, with a liquid to solid (L/S) ratio of 10 and 24 h leaching time, leachates from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane (PUR), and polycarbonate (PC) were the most toxic with EC 50 values of 5-69 g plastic L À1 [98]. Higher L/S ratios and longer leaching times resulted in leachates from plasticised PVC and epoxy resin products to be the most toxic at (EC 50 of 2-235 g plastic L À1 ) [99]. In a recent study, Bejgarn et al [99] investigated the leachates from plastic that were ground to a power and had undergone artificial weathering, using a L/S of 10 and a 72 h leaching time, to the marine harpacticoid copepod Nitocra spinipes.…”

“…Higher L/S ratios and longer leaching times resulted in leachates from plasticised PVC and epoxy resin products to be the most toxic at (EC 50 of 2-235 g plastic L À1 ) [99]. In a recent study, Bejgarn et al [99] investigated the leachates from plastic that were ground to a power and had undergone artificial weathering, using a L/S of 10 and a 72 h leaching time, to the marine harpacticoid copepod Nitocra spinipes. Here, leachates from different PVC materials differed in their toxicity, with the toxicity of leachate from PVC packaging increasing after artificial weathering; whereas the leachate from PVC garden hose material decreased after artificial weathering [99].…”

“…In a recent study, Bejgarn et al [99] investigated the leachates from plastic that were ground to a power and had undergone artificial weathering, using a L/S of 10 and a 72 h leaching time, to the marine harpacticoid copepod Nitocra spinipes. Here, leachates from different PVC materials differed in their toxicity, with the toxicity of leachate from PVC packaging increasing after artificial weathering; whereas the leachate from PVC garden hose material decreased after artificial weathering [99]. This study also showed that the leachable PVC constitutes were a complex mixture of substances, and interestingly mass fragments containing chlorine were not identified.…”

A 2‐Tier standard method to test the toxicity of microplastics in marine water using Paracentrotus lividus and Acartia clausi larvae

“…Acute toxicity of plastic leachates has already been proposed as a useful method to differentiate between toxic and nontoxic products (Lithner et al 2009). Nevertheless, in contrast with previous approaches (Lithner et al 2009(Lithner et al , 2012Bejgarn et al 2015;Nobre et al 2015;Gandara E Silva et al 2016;Li et al 2016), the procedure described in the present study includes a particle test conducted under more environmentally relevant conditions that facilitate continuous contact in the water column between microplastics and organisms throughout the exposure period. Thus an additional avenue of exposure not considered in earlier processes-ingestion of microplastic particles-is included in this evaluation.…”

Current understanding of microplastics in the environment: Occurrence, fate, risks, and what we should do

“…A range of plastics, such as PS (Garrigos et al 2004), PVC (Marcilla et al 2004), andPC (vom Saal andHughes 2005), have been shown to release toxic monomers, which are associated with cancer and reproductive abnormities. Although no individual chemical structures were identified in the leachates from the plastics under artificial sunlight in a broad chemical screening study, 38% of plastics have been shown to produce leachates that caused acute toxicity to Nitocra spinipes (Bejgarn et al 2015). Many of the additives are toxic.…”