Journal
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
Volume 112, Issue 1-2, Pages 265-270Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.08.005
Keywords
Plastics; Polyurethane; Foams; Seabirds; Lead; Flame retardants
Funding
- UoP Marine Institute HEIF V grant
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Seventy samples of foamed plastic collected from a high-energy, sandy beach in SW England have been characterised by FTIR and XRF. Most samples were polyurethane (PU; n = 39) or polystyrene (PS; n = 27) that were associated with variable concentrations of Br-Cl, Fe and Zn, indicative of the presence of halogenated flame retardants, iron oxides and Zn-based additives, respectively. Many samples of rigid PU contained Pb, historically used as a catalyst, at concentrations of up to 16,000 mu g g(-1). A physiological extraction test that simulates the conditions in the gizzard of plastic-ingesting seabirds was applied to selected samples and results revealed that while Br and Zn were not measurably bioaccessible, Pb mobilisation progressed logarithmically over a period of time with maximum accessibilities after 220 h of similar to 10% of total metal. Foamed PU is a source of bioaccessible Pb in the marine environment that has not previously been documented. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available