Trace elements in microplastics in Cartagena: A hotspot for plastic pollution at the Caribbean

Acosta-Coley, Isabel; Méndez-Cuadro, Darío; Rodríguez-Cavallo, Erika; Rosa, J. de la; Olívero-Verbel, Jesús

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.12.016

Cited by 97 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Secondary microplastics are derived from the breaking up of macroplastics (> 2.5 cm) or mesoplastics (5 mm–2.5 cm) through various abiotic factors such as sunlight (photodegradation), weathering (mechanical breakup), erosion and aquatic immersion (Akdogan and Guven 2019 ; Cole et al 2011 ; Ganesh et al 2020 ; Law 2017 ; Sharma and Chatterjee 2017 ; Worm et al 2017 ). White polyethylene pellets comprised most of the primary microplastics on beaches in the Caribbean, while only 23.1–34.3% of the total microplastics were secondary microplastics (Acosta-Coley et al 2019 ). However, secondary microplastics were the main microplastic (66–88%) in downstream effluents from wastewater treatment plants (Estahbanati and Fahrenfeld 2016 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics provide new microbial niches in aquatic environments

Yang

Liu

Zhang

et al. 2020

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol

243

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Microplastics in the biosphere are currently of great environmental concern because of their potential toxicity for aquatic biota and human health and association with pathogenic microbiota. Microplastics can occur in high abundance in all aquatic environments, including oceans, rivers and lakes. Recent findings have highlighted the role of microplastics as important vectors for microorganisms, which can form fully developed biofilms on this artificial substrate. Microplastics therefore provide new microbial niches in the aquatic environment, and the developing biofilms may significantly differ in microbial composition compared to natural free-living or particle-associated microbial populations in the surrounding water. In this article, we discuss the composition and ecological function of the microbial communities found in microplastic biofilms. The potential factors that influence the richness and diversity of such microbial microplastic communities are also evaluated. Microbe-microbe and microbe-substrate interactions in microplastic biofilms have been little studied and are not well understood. Multiomics tools together with morphological, physiological and biochemical analyses should be combined to provide a more comprehensive overview on the ecological role of microplastic biofilms. These new microbial niches have so far unknown consequences for microbial ecology and environmental processes in aquatic ecosystems. More knowledge is required on the microbial community composition of microplastic biofilms and their ecological functions in order to better evaluate consequences for the environment and animal health, including humans, especially since the worldwide abundance of microplastics is predicted to dramatically increase. Key Points • Bacteria are mainly studied in community analyses: fungi are neglected. • Microbial colonization of microplastics depends on substrate, location and time. • Community ecology is a promising approach to investigate microbial colonization. • Biodegradable plastics, and ecological roles of microplastic biofilms, need analysis.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microplastics provide new microbial niches in aquatic environments

Yang

Liu

Zhang

et al. 2020

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol

243

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…There was only one case of exceeding the limit value for cadmium. The content of heavy metals in the remaining samples was relatively low and did not exceed the amounts observed in the Acosta-Coley's and Alam's studies [13,49]. Their source could have been additives used in the production of plastics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…In addition, it is necessary to eliminate from the market the bioplastics which, despite the declarations of the producers, do not decompose at all or only partially decompose. Such products will be a source of microplastics in the environment, posing a risk to the health and life of animals and humans due to their heavy metal content and their potential to accumulate in the environment [49,53].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of the Possibility of Environmental Pollution by Composted Biodegradable and Oxo-Biodegradable Plastics

Markowicz

Szymańska-Pulikowska

2019

Geosciences

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Composting the municipal organic fraction of waste results in a valuable product in the form of compost, which could be used instead of other forms of fertilisation. The organic waste stream may contain oxo-biodegradable and biodegradable plastics used for waste collection. Their components and decomposition residues may contaminate the compost chemically and physically. In this paper, the results of studies on the content of selected macro- and microelements in new and composted plastics have been analysed. Statistical analyses were carried out in order to determine the most characteristic components of plastics and to determine the character of chemical composition changes. The analysis of the test results showed that multidirectional changes in the content of macro- and microelements occur during composting, and they may be the source of contamination of the fertiliser produced. Contaminants in the form of microplastics may also be released into the environment, which may pose a threat to many elements of the environment, including animals and humans.

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“…For MP, this technique is mainly used to investigate heavy metal contaminations on MP from the environment due to their potential role as transport vector for this and all kind of contaminants. 93,205,247,[315][316][317]…”

Section: Additional Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%